Analysis for the Future
by All-4-1
Summary: What if Izuku's analytical mind was from a Quirk? See how this changes not only his life, but those of his friends and family as well. IzuMei Kacchako. OP Izuku. Rated M for Katsuki's mouth, ultraviolence and small green citrus fruits. Minor crossover elements.
1. Volume 1: Analytical Origin

**Hello, peoples of the interweb. My name is not All-4-1, but you may refer to me as such on this site. I am super excited to bring you this story. It is, without question, the greatest story ever written... about Izuku Midoriya having a Quirk... that I have made. On a completely unrelated note, welcome to my very first story ever. I'll spare you anymore ramblings until the end of the chapter, so please enjoy the debut of "Analysis for the Future".**

* * *

"Well, this is interesting," the doctor said, going over the chart of the small boy in front of him.

"Is something wrong with him, doctor?" a concerned, green-haired woman asked, holding the boy in her lap.

"Not wrong, just interesting. A child usually inherits one of their parents Quirks, or a combination of the two. But, like young Izuku here, there are rare instances of Spontaneous Ability Generation, or SAG," he replied, pausing to allow the woman a chance to process this new development.

"But what does that mean? How does something like this happen?"

"We don't really know how it works. The prevailing theory is that SAG is a recessive mutation caused by the interaction of two or more dormant Quirk genes. Basically, you and your husband's DNA each contained one piece of a compatible, but inactive, Quirk. This then gives rise to a new, unexpected, Quirk. This one is very unique, and I believe it has great heroic potential."

Upon hearing the "H" word, Izuku looked up from his action figure. His emerald-like irises glowed, bathing the doctor in an eerie light.

"Based on its characteristics, we've decided to call it 'Analysis'."

* * *

 **10 Years Later...**

* * *

Izuku Midoriya ran as fast as he could down the street towards Tatooin Station, an excited smile on his face. Rounding the corner, he found what he was looking for. Up on the subway tracks, a giant villain was facing off against the Pro Hero Kamui Woods. Getting as close as the police line would allow, he tilted his sunglasses up onto his forehead, letting his shining eyes take in the battle. As he watched, lines of data flashed through his mind. Name, age, date of birth, height, weight, blood type, Quirk. The villain was some small time mugger, hardly worth Izuku's time, and he'd already witnessed Kamui in action before. His intrest started to wane, and he was about to leave when a giant woman appeared and knocked the villain down onto the street. As the woman landed next to him, his eyes lit up, both from excitement and his Quirk.

 _'Awesome! A new hero!'_ Izuku thought, as the new information filled his mind in the blink of an eye.

 **Name: Yū Takeyama**

 **Age: 22**

 **DOB: August 11, 2235**

 **Height: 67' 7"**

 **Weight: 11.2 Tons**

 **Blood Type: B**

 **Quirk: Gigantification**

 _'Guess I'll have to stick around and see if she'll revert back to her normal size so I can get an accurate understanding of her abilities.'_

Returning his focus back to the fight, he watched as the new Hero, who identified herself as Mt. Lady, quickly restrained the villain and let the police take him into custody. Turning to the crowd, she shrank down and waved at her new adoring public. Several of the men in the area flocked to her, taking as many pictures of her as they could before the cops started shooing them away. This gave Izuku the opportunity for a closer look at the young heroine.

 **Height: 5'4"**

 **Weight: 123lbs**

He would have liked to stay a bit longer to ask some follow-up questions, but he knew that he wasn't allowed to use the _'Traffic was backed up by a villain_ ' excuse anymore. The school had decided that fifteen was more than enough for one person in a three month period.

With that in mind, he hurried off before he was late.

* * *

 **Aldera Junior High**

* * *

Getting to school with moments to spare, Izuku slid into his seat near the back of the classroom. Everyone else slowly settled down as the bell rang and the teacher walked in, carrying a large stack of papers.

"Alright class, as third years it's time to start thinking seriously about what you want to do with your lives. I have these aptitude tests I could hand out, but why bother?" he said, throwing the papers into the air. "You all want to be Heroes," he added, receiving cheers from the students.

Everyone took a moment to show off their powers, from the mildly useful to the completely worthless.

"Yes, you all have impressive Quirks, but remember there is no power usage allowed in the classroom," he continued, trying to regain control of the room when a voice piped up from the crowd.

"Oi, teach. Don't lump me in with the rest of these losers," a spiky, blond-haired boy said, putting his feet up on his desk. "Some of us have real talent, while the rest will be lucky to be sidekicks for some washed up D-lister."

This caused a small uproar, as many students were unhappy being dismissed so casually. The blond just laughed it off, saying he could take them all on without a challenge.

"Ah, Bakugō, you do have some impressive test scores. Maybe you can get in to UA," the teacher admitted, causing the class to devolve into a storm of muttering about how impossible it was for anyone to get accepted to the national school.

"Of course it's hard to get in. That's why I won't settle for anything less," Bakugo replied, popping up onto his desk. "I aced all the practice exams. I won't just get in, I'll go on to be the best Hero in the world, richer and more famous than All-Might himself."

The teacher interrupted the boy's rant with an interesting observation.

"It looks like you also intend to try for UA, right Midoriya?"

That question changed the tone of the room. In one sentence the class went from mad at Bakugō to laughing at Midoriya.

"Him? He's so bland though."

"His Quirk is totally lame."

"How could a nerd like him ever hope to be a Hero?"

 _ ***BOOM***_

Bakugō punched his open palm, a small explosion silencing everyone.

"Shut up you damn extras! If anyone else has a chance of getting into UA, it's him! And nobody gets to call him a nerd except me, got it?

Everyone mumbled out a small apology to the green-haired boy who currently wished that his Quirk made him invisible.

After that, things settled down, and school continued as normal. Eventually the day came to an end, and everyone filtered out of the room, leaving Midoriya and Bakugo alone.

"Why do you let them treat you like that?" Bakugō asked, concern lacing his voice. "You and I both know you're stronger than any of them. We've been training together our whole lives, yet I always have to stand up for you."

"I know, but they aren't bad guys. It wouldn't be right to hurt them. Besides," Izuku responded, his voice getting quiet and his eyes tearing up, "mom wouldn't have wanted me to be mean to anyone, no matter what."

"Shit, I forgot that was next week! Man, I'm sorry. Nine years is a long time. But you know Auntie Inko would want you to move on, right? Smile, make friends, maybe even a girlfriend," the explosive teen teased, lightly pushing his best friend's shoulder.

"Sh-shut up, Kacchan!" Izuku shouted, trying to hide the redness of his cheeks by burying his face in his arms.

"Whatever, _Izu-kun_." If Izuku wanted to use their childhood nicknames, Katsuki Bakugō was more than willing to play that game. "By the way, there's a sale on eggs downtown. Mom wants you to pick some up on your way home."

"Why can't you do it?"

"Because I'm a busy and important person, with busy and important person things to do."

"You left your wallet at home again, didn't you?"

"No! Maybe? Just shut up and get the damn eggs, nerd!"

With that, Bakugō stormed out of the room, effectively ending their conversation.

Laughing slightly at his brother in all but blood's behavior, Izuku decided it would be easier to just do what Bakugo wanted. Tossing his backpack over his shoulder, he headed out for the grocery store. It was a nice day out, so he took the long way there, giving himself a chance to think.

* * *

 **Flashback-Nine Years Ago...**

* * *

It was a lovely Spring day in Musutafu, and everyone was out enjoying themselves. At a local park, two young boys were in the middle of a heated argument.

"Nuh uh! No way could Eraserhead beat Death Arms! Even without his Quirk, he's stronger than that twig!"

This was no strange sight to the park visitors. The two children were in the same place nearly every day. Sometimes they would play Hero, other times they built sand castles. But today, they were playing their new favorite game, 'Who Would Win?'.

"Yeah, Death Arms is strong, but he isn't very fast. Eraserhead would disable his Quirk and tie him up before Death Arms could even throw a punch."

As always, the game came down to brains vs. brawn. Bakugō always advocated brawn, choosing people like Endeavor or Crimson Riot. Midoriya, on the other hand, argued for brains, with Heroes like Thirteen or Best Jeanist. The rules were simple. It was a straightforward battle in an open arena. No setup time, no cover, just skill against skill. They each picked a Hero and one Support Item, then started the fight.

There was only one other rule to the game, which was that neither of them was allowed to pick All Might. They had come to that decision after the first three games had ended with them fighting over who got to pick the Number One Hero.

"Death Arms would break out of the ropes and knock Eraserhead out with one shot!"

"Eraserhead's Capture Weapon is way tougher than ropes. Even with his Quirk, Death Arms wouldn't be able to escape it."

With that, the game ended in Izuku's favor, making the score five to five. Katsuki huffed, but conceded the point, sulking off to punch the sandbox like he did after every loss. Taking the opportunity, Izuku decided to go talk to his only other friend, his mom.

"Hey mom, how are you?" the little boy asked, taking a seat on the bench.

Inko set down her book and looked over at her son. "I'm wonderful, now that my favorite little Hero has come to talk to me," she replied, ruffling her son's perpetually messy green hair. "What about you? Are you and Katsuki having fun?"

"We were, but he got mad at me for winning, so he went to play in the sandbox by himself."

"Well I have an idea that will cheer you both up. You go get him, and I'll take you boys downtown for some ice cream, okay?"

"Okay! I'll be right back."

Those were the last words they ever said to each other.

Izuku turned and ran back to his best friend to share the good news about the ice cream, when he heard four things in rapid succession. The roar of an engine, the squealing of tires, a scream of panic, and the shattering of glass. Turning back to see what happened, Izuku's blood froze in his veins.

People were standing on the sidewalk, looking in horror at the scene in front of them. A large black SUV had run a red light, swerved to avoid oncoming traffic and jumped the curb, before ending it's journey crashing into a tree. But Izuku didn't care about any of that. He focused on a point between the sidewalk and the curb, to the bench he had just been sitting on.

With his mom.

Running as fast as his five year old legs would let him, he knelt beside his mother's body, looking into her glassy eyes for any sign of life. But there were none. He stayed there, sobbing loudly, as sirens blared in the distance.

Everything that happened after that was a blank, explained to him later. How the SUV had been the getaway car for a group of thieves that had just robbed a jewelry store. How they had had a shootout with police before a small time Hero had appeared. How one of the Villains had killed the Hero, allowing them to escape.

The next week was a blur, as the cops tried to find Midoriya a place to live. They called his father, but Hisashi Midoriya was too busy with his new family in America to care about the 'weird mistake child' in Japan. None of his grandparents were alive, and his mother had been an only child, leaving them with only one more option before they would have to send the boy to foster care.

And so it was that Mitsuki Bakugō, Izuku's godmother, ended up taking him in.

* * *

 **End Flashback**

* * *

Izuku was slowly drawn back to the present as he heard a strange noise coming from behind him. Quickly taking stock of his surroundings, he recognized the bridge he was under as one he often walked past on nice days like this. Focusing on the more pressing matter at the moment, he saw that the manhole cover in the small tunnel was shaking as green ooze seeped up from the sewer.

Suddenly, the sludge started to coalesce into a vaguely humanoid shape. Two large yellow eyes and a set of yellower teeth floated to the top, forming a face that turned to look at the young boy it had found.

"Excellent, a perfect shell to hide in. Don't worry, you won't feel a thing," the creature said, rushing towards him.

Izuku felt a wave of panic wash over him, as he fell backwards. Before he could react any further, his body was engulfed in slime. He struggled against it, but there was nowhere to grip. His thoughts grew hazy as he felt his consciousness slipping away.

Before that could happen though, the manhole cover shot up into the air and landed with a heavy thud. Then, a wall of muscle wearing a t-shirt and cargo pants erupted out of the sewer, and spoke in a voice Izuku would recognize anywhere.

 _ **"FEAR NOT CITIZEN! HOPE HAS ARRIVED, BECAUSE I AM HERE!"**_

"All Might," the monster spat, throwing tendrils of goo at the great Hero.

Dodging with what appeared to be casual ease, All Might then pulled back his fist for a counter-attack.

 _ **"TEXAS SMAAAAASH!"**_

The punch launched a massive wave of air pressure that blew the Villain to pieces. Reaching into his grocery bag, he pulled out a pair of 2L bottles of Coka-Cola. Downing the soda in two heroic gulps, he set about scooping the muck inside the now empty bottles. As he finished, he noticed the boy he had just saved begin to stir. Walking over, he held out his hand to help the boy to his feet.

Izuku slowly came to, blinking the sun out of his eyes. He looked up, and stared right into the eyes of his idol...

 **Name: Toshinori Yagi**

 **Age: 48**

 **DOB: June 10, 2209**

 **Height: 7' 2"**

 **Weight: 562lbs**

 **Blood Type: A**

 **Quirk: One For All, Eighth Wielder**

He blinked, confused why his Quirk had activated. As he continued to make eye contact with All Might, the larger man's surface thoughts drifted through his mind.

 _'This kid is staring at me really intensely. I should say something, break this tension. Shit, better make it quick. I've only got three minutes left, and I still need to get this Villain to the cops._

Panicking, Izuku clamped his eyes shut and fumbled around for his sunglasses, which he only just realized weren't on his face anymore. He started mumbling something unintelligible, a habit he thought he had fixed years ago.

Looking slightly confused, All Might noticed a pair of thick black glasses near the boy's feet. Bending down to pick them up, he heard a few snippets that made his heart stop.

 _"Three minutes until what? What does 'Eighth Wielder' mean?"_

Grabbing the glasses, taking a moment to observe that they were heavier than they looked, he tapped the kid's hand, letting them be taken from his grasp.

Izuku quickly put them on, relishing the obsidian barrier that kept the world's secrets at bay. Taking a chance, he looked back at All Might, and what he saw scared him more than the Villain had. The Hero's permanent smile was gone, replaced with a look of shock. His face was pale, and a trickle of blood ran down his nose. Before Izuku could react, All Might grabbed him and leapt into the air.

They landed on a nearby rooftop, Izuku breathing heavily as he had been unprepared for the impromptu flight. He turned to look at All Might, and panicked again when steam began to waft off of the Hero. Before he could ask about it, the Symbol of Peace rapidly deflated into a frail, skeletal man.

Looking down at the nervous child, Toshinori Yagi uttered one short sentence that would change not only their lives, but the very future of the world.

"Kid, we need to talk."

* * *

 **And that's a wrap. 2,864 words of pure awesomeness, if I do say so myself. But in all seriousness, I do hope you enjoyed this new twist on the MHA story. We have a few things to unpack, so let's get to it.**

 **1\. Obviously, this is a Quirky Izuku story. The Quirk in question is called 'Analysis' based on Izuku's canon obsession with Quirk research and theory. Currently, you have seen two of its applications. The first is obviously the passive ability to learn the vital statistics of someone at a glance. The second is the ability to read a person's surface thoughts with prolonged eye contact. You may have also noticed that, as a byproduct of his Quirk, his eyes glow. 'Analysis' has two other activated abilities, both of which will be explained next chapter. The only other thing to note about his Quirk at this point is that he keeps it contained with a pair of sweet obsidian sunglasses, which prevent his passive ability from bombarding him with information all the time. He will still receive One For All, so if you like that, yay. If not, I'm sorry, but I have some interesting things planned for it. You don't have to read if you don't want to, but I hope you give it a chance.**

 **2\. This will be an Izuku/Mei story. There won't be any explicit smut, but I do have a few romantic subplots planned, as well as the possibility of a few Omakes with a twist of lime, at least one of which I have basically fully written in my mind that features my favorite side ship, KamiJiro. I have a few other ships ready to set sail, but I will reveal them later.**

 **3\. I killed Inko Midoriya. Sorry, not sorry. I don't like her character, as I feel she is a bad mother. I also made Hisashi a dick. They never really mention him, and we don't even know what he looks like, so I figure he probably abandoned them. If he were dead, that would be something Izuku would think about, and if he really was just 'working abroad', then he would call or text or write a letter. Anything to acknowledge that he has paid some attention to the things happening in his family's lives.**

 **4\. This story begins in 2257, with the 4 year old Izuku's doctor appointment taking place in 2247. I based this decision on a few factors. Izuku is the ninth wielder of One For All, receiving it at 15 from All Might, who also received it at 15 and, being most likely older than Endeavor, would be in his late 40's to early 50's. Assuming that each generation held it for around 30 years, that would equal 240 years. Plus, we know All-For-One is well over 100 years old, society has had enough time to fully rewrite legislation to incorporate the existence of Quirks, and Midoriya and All Might mention that the appearance of Quirks stagnated progress and humans could have achieved interstellar travel had they not appeared.**

 **If you have any other questions, or would like clarification of something, leave a review or PM me. Constructive criticism or lavish praise are both welcome as well. Flame will be suppressed by my boy Todoroki.**


	2. Volume 2: Heroic Analysis

**Welcome back everyone to another exciting installment of 'Analysis for the Future'. I was surprised by the overwhelmingly positive reaction to this story. 37 Favorites and 55 Followers with over 250 views in just one week. Thank you so much for all the support, especially the five people who left reviews. But enough of me talking, let's get in to the story. I'll see you all at the bottom of the page with more. Enjoy.**

* * *

 _"Kid, we need to talk."_

* * *

Izuku stood there, on a random rooftop, trying to process what was happening in front of him. The legendary Symbol of Peace, the great Hero All Might himself, was actually an emaciated middle-aged man. Taking a moment to try and focus, which failed, he started talking.

"OhmygodI'msosorrypleasedon'tbemadat..."

"Take a breath, kid. I'm not mad, I just have a few questions for you. Do you think you can handle that?"

"I think so, just give me a second." Izuku sat down in a lotus position and began some simple deep breathing exercises. After a few minutes, he stood back up. "Okay, I'm good."

"Alright, that's better. First off, what's your name, kid?"

"Izuku Midoriya, sir."

"Nice to meet you, young Midoriya. Now, this next question is very important, so be honest with me. How do you know about 'One For All'?"

"I don't really know about it, I just know it's name. My Quirk is called 'Analysis', and it lets me learn all kinds of things about anyone l look at, like their name, age and Quirk," Izuku explained. Then he paused, before starting to mutter under his breath. _"Most Quirk names are self explanatory, like 'Gigantification' or 'Explosion'. But, 'One For All' doesn't carry any meaning that I'm aware of, and the 'Eighth Wielder' addition raises even more questions. If it means what I think..."_

"Kid, focus," Toshinori said, snapping his fingers in Izuku's face. When the boy calmed down again, he continued. "Since you already know most of the personal information I've tried to keep from the public, I suppose there's no harm explaining the rest to you. But you have to promise that what I'm about to tell you doesn't leave this rooftop, understand?"

"I swear, I'll never tell anyone else for as long as I live."

"Good, now listen up, and keep all your questions until the end."

And so, All Might told the boy the history of 'One For All', about how it was a sacred torch passed on from master to apprentice. He talked about his battle with All For One, and the nearly fatal wounds they had dealt to each other. Finally, he explained that since that fight, he was only able to maintain his power for three hours a day.

"And now you know everything. That I'm nothing more than a shadow. A faint echo of the Hero I was," he concluded, his voice soft and sad.

"No you're not!" Izuku shouted, a bit more forcefully than he had intended. "I mean, if anything, this makes you even more impressive. By all rights, you should have died. But you pushed past that and kept fighting when any lesser person would have given up. You truly deserve the title 'Symbol of Peace'."

"Ha, thanks for that, kid. I'm sorry you had to see me in such a low moment." Standing back up, Toshinori stretched his legs before heading to the door. "With a Quirk like yours, and your upbeat attitude, you'll make a great Hero someday. I look forward to seeing you again when that day comes."

With that, he took his leave. Izuku stood there for a few seconds before releasing a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

"Holycrapthatwasthecoolestthingthat'severhappenedtome!" He exploded, his mouth moving faster than his mind. Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted by a literal explosion a few blocks away.

A few floors down, Toshinori also heard the commotion. _'Damn, I don't have time to deal with that. I'll have to leave it to some other Heroes. Right now, I have to get this Villain... to... jail,'_ he thought, reaching into his pockets and finding them empty. Looking back out at the smoke rising from downtown, he had only one thought. _'Shit.'_

* * *

 **Downtown, a few minutes earlier...**

* * *

Katsuki wandered aimlessly around town, annoyed that there wasn't much he could do without his wallet. He considered going to the park to work out, or the gym which would let him use his Quirk. Before he could decide however, a pair of large bottles fell from the sky.

"What the fuck!"

He looked up, trying to figure out where this trash had come from. Not seeing anyone there, he bent down and picked them up.

"Littering is a crime, asshole!" He shouted at no one. With an annoyed grunt, he hurled the trash at the nearest dumpster. Unfortunately, he threw them with such force that they burst open upon contact with the lid.

"Ah, thanks kid," a disturbing voice called out, causing Katsuki to flinch. "You've got a pretty rough attitude about you, should make you an excellent skinsuit."

Suddenly he found himself engulfed in slime, and he started panicking. He let off a few small explosions, trying to blast the Villain away.

"Nice Quirk ya got there, you'll be much more useful than that green-haired nerd from earlier."

 _'Green-haired nerd, he better not be talking about Izuku!'_

Increasing the power of his Quirk, Katsuki managed to free his mouth long enough to breathe.

"Cool it before you cause..." the sludge monster started to say, before he was interrupted by a voice from the street.

"Stop right there, fiend! Unhand that boy at once!" Kamui Woods shouted, as he was joined by a few more Pro Heroes.

"A scene."

* * *

 **Back on the rooftop...**

* * *

Izuku hopped up onto the railing of the roof and removed his sunglasses. He blinked the sun out of his eyes before closing them tightly.

 _ **"Sit-Rep,"**_ he said softly, opening his now brightly glowing eyes.

 **Wind Speed: 6MPH SSE**

 **Temperature: 62°F**

 **Optimal Route Calculated**

 **Estimated Travel Time: 4 Minutes 27.4 Seconds**

Slipping the glasses into his pocket, Izuku jumped off the building. He reached out his right hand and grabbed the lamppost in front of him, then used his forward momentum to spin around it and slowly descend to street level. He rushed across the street, slipped through a back alley, took a right and two lefts, cut through a small park and finally arrived at the site of the explosions. Pushing his way to the front of the crowd, he found what he was looking for.

His brother, Katsuki Bakugō.

Izuku had recognized the Quirk immediately, but had not anticipated the Villain that All Might had dealt with earlier. Thinking quickly, he realized that the Hero had probably dropped the bottles some time during the unplanned detour they had taken when Izuku accidentally discovered the man's secret.

Looking at the scene, he noticed that none of the Pro Heroes were helping Kacchan.

 _"I get that My. Lady can't do it. It looks like she just has the one size. The alley is on fire, so Kamui Woods is at a severe disadvantage, and Backdraft is busy containing the damage. But Death Arms and Grand Slam are just standing there. No, wait, they'retalking about something."_

Closing his eyes and focusing on his hearing, he could just make out their conversation over the constant bangs of Katsuki's escape attempt.

"...and my punch didn't have any effect on him at all," he heard Death Arms whisper.

"This guy sure is tough, not to mention he has a hostage. Looks like we'll just have to wait for another Hero with the right Quirk to show up," Grand Slam replied sadly.

 _'Seriously! They're supposed to be professionals and that's their excuse!? They don't have the right Quirk! Well, I'm definitely going to get yelled at for this, but I guess it's up to me to solve this problem. In all fairness, it is kinda my fault though, so whatever,"_ Izuku thought as his eyes lit up again.

 _ **"Structural Analysis."**_

 **Building Integrity: 79%**

 **Villain Composition: 94% Carbon Hydrogel, 2% Osseous Calcium, 4% Assorted Compounds**

 **Weakness: Ocular Trauma, High Speed Winds, Low Temperatures**

 _'Okay, here goes nothing.'_

Running forward, he entered the alley. He bent down and grabbed one of the many pieces of large debris, _'Thank you Kacchan,'_ and shouted at the Villain, causing it to turn and stare him down.

"You again? Oh I'm going to enjoy killing you. But please, wait your turn. I'm in the middle of something right now."

"Not anymore, you're not," Izuku retorted, chucking the brick straight into it's left eye.

It screamed, most of it's body going slack, allowing Izuku to run in and pull Katsuki out of reach.

As he helped Katsuki walk back towards the street, he felt a slight gust of wind behind him. Pulling his friend to the ground, they narrowly avoided the tendril of ooze that shot out to grab them. Before either of the boys could respond however, a large shadow loomed over them.

 _ **"MY APOLOGIES, YOUNG MIDORIYA! THIS MAKES TWICE YOU WERE PUT IN DANGER ON MY WATCH! YOU'VE SHOWN GREAT BRAVERY IN THE FACE OF THIS ADVERSITY THOUGH, SO ALLOW ME TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE. NOW, IT'S TIME FOR ME TO TAKE OUT THE TRASH!**_

 _ **"** **DETROIT** **SMASH!"**_

With that one punch, All Might managed to not only desolidify the Villain, but also alter the weather, causing a rain storm that managed to put out the fires Bakugo had unintentionally started.

As he walked over and started talking to the reporters, a few of the other Heroes came to check on the two boys still laying on the ground.

"You were pretty brave to try and fight back against that thing," Kamui Woods said, helping Bakugō to his feet. "You've got a strong Quirk too. If you plan on becoming a Hero you should definitely come to my agency," he added, giving the kid a business card.

"What were you thinking, getting involved like that?" Death Arms asked, picking up Midoriya. "You could have been seriously injured, or even died."

"Oi, don't talk to my brother like that!" Katsuki shouted, before coughing up some sludge.

"Calm down, Kacchan. I'll handle this," Izuku replied calmly, turning to the Heroes. "'Looks like we'll just have to wait for another Hero with the right Quirk to show up.' Sound familiar? Quirks aren't everything. If you don't have the intelligence to adapt to disadvantageous circumstances, then how can you ever expect to be considered a great Hero."

"That's a lot of big words there kid, but behind your fancy vocabulary is the mind of a child. You should just..." Death Arms started, before being interrupted by Izuku continuing his rant.

"'Should just' what? Stand and watch while you let him die!? There were five of you here, and nobody but me was able to come up with 'Hit him in the eyes'?!" He was yelling now, as he draped Katsuki's arm over his shoulder and turned to walk away. "Let's get you home, man. If mom sees this on the news first, she'll finish what that Villain started." Looking back one last time, he decided he had one more thing to say.

"Thanks for nothing, _Ogami_ ," he spat sarcastically, before the two boys disappeared around the corner.

Death Arms opened his mouth to reply, but he couldn't find any words to defend himself. With a defeated sigh, he went back to helping clean up the Sludge Villain mess.

* * *

 **Outside the Bakugō Household, ten minutes later...**

* * *

"Okay, let go of me. I can walk in on my own," Bakugō huffed, stretching his arms up over his head. "I'll go in first, and when things stop blowing up it should be safe to come in."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Izuku asked nervously.

"Probably not, but after what you pulled back there, I don't think you're in any position to lecture me on smart decisions."

"Fair enough. Good luck."

"Pssh, I don't need luck, I've got skill."

Not waiting for a further reply, the blond strode forward confidently, and vanished into the doorway.

Before he could start to mentally prepare for what he knew was going to be a difficult situation to defuse, Izuku was shocked by a voice from behind him.

 _ **"I AM HERE, YOUNG MI..."**_ All Might tried to say, before deflating and coughing up blood.

"W-what are you doing here, All Might?" Izuku asked, a bit louder than he had intended to be.

"Shhh, do you want the whole neighborhood to come out here? When I look like this, just call me Mr. Yagi okay?"

"O-of course, All... I mean Mr. Yagi."

"Good, now about why I'm here," he tried to say again, this time being interrupted by a large explosion from the house in front of him. He quickly swelled up and made to move forward when Izuku put his arm out to stop the man.

"Save your strength, that's nothing to worry about. It's just how they communicate. I should go try to calm them down though. Can this conversation wait until tomorrow?"

Shrinking down again, Toshinori chuckled a bit before hacking up some more blood. "Sure thing kid. Meet me at Dagobah Municipal Beach Park at 8:00AM sharp."

"Okay, I'll see you there," Izuku responded happily, before rushing into the house to try and save his brother for the second time in one day.

 _'This kid is perfect. I promise Nana, I will help him just like you helped me. Izuku Midoriya, you will be the next Symbol of Peace.'_

* * *

 **And there's chapter two done. 2,274 words of action and excitement. I just have a few things to say this time.**

 **1\. I revealed the remaining abilities of Izuku's Quirk. There's 'Sit-Rep', which is military shorthand for situational report. This allows him to gauge things like temperature and wind speed, as well as acting like an internal map and compass. 'Structural Analysis' on the other hand, let's him examine the composition of objects and people, which enables him to find weak points and calculate strategic countermeasures. Finally, All of his senses are heightened beyond normal human levels. Not just the traditional five senses, but also things like pressure sensitivity, balance, timing and proprioception.**

 **2\. Death Arms doesn't have an official name that I could find, so I used the name of his Japanese voice actor.**

 **3\. I will try to upload this story either late Saturday nights or early Sunday mornings. However, I have a question for you guys. Would you prefer chapters in the 2-3 thousand word range every week, or 4-5 thousand word chapters every other week. I'll set up a poll on my profile page that will run until I release next week's chapter. If I don't get a lot of responses, I'll stick to the shorter weekly chapters.**

 **That's all from me this time, and I hope you enjoyed it. Please leave a review or PM me with any questions or comments about the story. I will try to answer anything, but I will not reveal spoilers, so keep that in mind. See you all next time.**


	3. Volume 3: Self-Reflection

**Hello again, my adoring fans. This second week went even better than I could have hoped. This story got more views in the first three hours after chapter two released than in the first week it came out. Then Sunday got more than double the total views of every day before it combined. There are now 131 of you following it, and 89 have put it on their favorites list. In total, almost 1,500 people from 48 countries have read this story, and I'd just like to take a minute to thank each and every one of you. I only have 12 reviews so far, but they're all positive, so that's cool.**

 **Now, for a bit of a disclaimer. This chapter is long, coming in at 5,180 words of actual story, but a lot of it is exposition, some of which you may already know. It contains a very detailed explanation of how Izuku's Quirk functions, that you've seen in previous author's notes, or guessed for yourselves. But not everyone reads AN's these days, and the description in this chapter is very in-depth, taking up the first quarter or so. Still, I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as the last two, and I'll see you all again at the end.**

 **(P.S. I don't own anything, nor do I make any money from the distribution of this story. All rights and holdings belong to their original creators. Please support the official releases.)**

* * *

 _'Izuku Midoriya, you will be the next Symbol of Peace.'_

* * *

Izuku awoke to the sound of his alarm, which confused him for a moment as it was Saturday. Then, as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, he remembered his conversation with All Might the night before. Jumping out of bed, he quickly began to prepare for the day ahead. He showered, dressed and ate a quick breakfast before writing a note saying that he had gone out for a while and would call if he needed anything. Right before he opened the door though, a voice spoke up from behind him.

"Oi, where are you going, nerd!" Katsuki called out, startling the boy.

"J-just taking a morning run, nothing special," he replied, turning back to face the explosive teen. "What are you doing up so early?"

"Ya know, you may be a super genius, but you have no idea how to tell a lie properly," the blond said bluntly, ignoring Izuku's question.

"I'm going out to meet a friend."

"I'm right here."

"I have other friends, Kacchan."

"No you don't."

"I, uh, wellgottagobye!" Izuku panicked, rushing out the front door before Katsuki could react.

He ran down the street towards the beach, not even taking the time to close the door behind him. Had he been paying more attention, he might have felt the burning red eyes watching him, or heard the soft footsteps following him from a short distance away. But he wasn't paying attention, and that inattentiveness would alter the boy's world for the second time in as many days.

* * *

 **Dagobah Municipal Beach Park, 7:59AM...**

* * *

Reaching the agreed upon meeting place with a minute to spare, Izuku took a deep breath and looked out over the park.

What had once been a beautiful place for couples and families to come and enjoy the ocean had been turned into a a place now referred to simply as 'The Junkyard'. Due to the currents in the area, anything dumped at sea within a ten mile radius washed up here. At first, people had tried to clean up the trash, but as more and more piled up, they all gave up. Nowadays, anything people didn't want anymore ended up here. It was sad, but nothing could be done about it because it was impossible to prove where any of it came from.

"It's sad, isn't it?" a soft voice asked, pulling him out of his thoughts.

Turning to his right, Izuku saw All... no, Mr. Yagi, standing next to him, a slight frown upon his usually vibrant face.

"Y-yeah, it is," he said nervously, looking back at the garbage-strewn sands. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

"You remember what I told you on the rooftop, about how I don't have much time left as the world's Symbol of Peace?"

"Yeah, but what does that have to do with me?"

"I also said that my power was like a torch, passed from one person to the next. After what you did yesterday for your friend, and what you said about the true meaning of Heroism, I've decided that you are a worthy candidate to receive 'One For All'."

"Are you, I mean, is this... Wait you heard me talking to Death Arms? _Oh crap, that means those reporters heard it too, which means he might get in trouble. I didn't think about who was around to hear that, I was just so..._ "

"Kid, you seriously have to stop doing that," Toshinori sighed, lightly shaking the boy's shoulders. "It's fine, the press was too focused on me to pay any attention to your scathing criticism of the other Heroes. Now, about my offer?"

"S-sorry, Mr. Yagi, sir. It's just, are you sure I'm the right person for this? I mean, there are plenty of people better suited for it than me."

"And _that's_ why you're the best person for it. Because even now, being offered the chance to be the greatest Hero in the world, you're more concerned about the well-being of others. Compassion, humility, integrity, perseverance. These are the traits that make a true champion. You may not be ready today, but you have the potential to rise above even someone like me if you put your mind to it."

"Okay, if you believe in me, I promise you won't be disappointed. I'll do whatever it takes to be worthy of this honor."

"Excellent, I knew you wouldn't let me down. Before we start, there are a few things I need to know about you though. Firstly, what all does your Quirk do exactly?"

"Of course. At it's core, 'Analysis' is a fairly simple Mutation Type Quirk. It improves all of my brain functions, like memory, sensory input and intellect. In fact, I can remember everything that's ever happened to me since the day it developed. _It was Friday, March 19, 2247, at 8:23:18AM. The wind was blowing at 2.4953MPH NE, and the temperature was..._ "

"I get it, focus on the present now."

Shaking his head, Izuku returned to his explanation.

"Like I said, it improved my senses. But not just the traditional five senses they teach in grade school. It also improved things like equilibrioception, thermoception, proprioception and chronoception. My sensitivity to changes in barometric pressure and electric fields are also superior to the average person."

"Do you mind using smaller words? I'm not dumb by any means, but I'm also not a doctor or anything, and some of that sentence went right over my head."

"Basically, my sense of balance, temperature, self-awareness, and time are all improved. I can also feel things like when a storm is coming, or the wind changes. When I pulled Kacchan down to the ground yesterday, it was because I felt the displacement of the air caused by the Sludge Villain's tendril trying to grab us."

"That's actually really impressive. You also said something about electric fields?"

"Yeah, kinda. Unlike sharks or dolphins, humans don't have a special organ dedicated to the detection of electric fields. But, if I focus really hard, I can feel the tingle of things like radio waves or the nerve impulses of people nearby. It's not very strong, and I have better ways of telling if people are nearby, but I have been able to fine tune it to where I can listen to Present Mic's radio show in my head, so that's cool."

"I thought you said it was a simple Quirk. This is a lot of stuff to process."

"'At it's core,' I said. I've spent the last decade improving it as much as I could. Which brings me to the part that sets my Quirk apart from other Mental Quirks," Izuku said with a smirk, removing his sunglasses. "My eyes. You know in movies, when people have to get scanned by some sci-fi device and they show that by using red or green laser beams? That's basically what my eyes do. A quick look will tell me all the vital information about a person, and prolonged eye contact, as you may recall, allows me to read their surface thoughts. But people aren't the only things I can scan. One of my Special Moves is **Structural Analysis** , and it allows me to see the flaws or weak points of buildings or people, as well as their chemical composition."

"All right, slow down. You're only 14 and you can do all that with your Quirk? It seems almost a bit overpowered, don't you think?" Toshinori asked incredulously, staring in shock at the kid next to him.

"Not entirely. Like I said, I've put in a lot of work to get to this point. The Quirk gives me a photographic memory, but I'm the one who put in the effort to read through the medical journals and weather reports and history books to compile the database of information in my head. It improved my balance, but I was the one who went out to watch Pro Heroes and master martial artists to observe how to use my body as a weapon."

"Wait, are you saying you're equal to a master martial artist?"

"No. I've analyzed the fighting styles of seven Pro Heroes and sixteen master martial artists, and can accurately describe and perform their moves, but in a one on one fight, I'd lose easily. Knowing how to do something and having the strength to do it are two separate things. While I have seen a Tenth Dan Black Belt win a spar against Crimson Riot, my own strength is at a blue belt level, so I wouldn't have stood a chance."

"I see. You really are a dedicated young man, Midoriya."

"Thank you. People always say things like 'Oh my, what a powerful Quirk' or 'You're so lucky, you're Quirk makes life so easy.' But that's not true at all. Quirks are only as strong as the person using them."

"Well spoken, my boy. Now, you said that **Structural Analysis** was _one_ of your Special Moves. How many do you have?"

"Just one more. And then my explanation will be done. It's my most often used ability, because it makes life just a little bit easier. I call it **Sit-Rep** , which is short for situational report. It mainly functions like a GPS in my head. By studying local maps, reading traffic reports and walking the streets myself, I can calculate the most efficient route to any location in the Greater Tokyo Area. It also tells me the time and weather. On the more Heroic side of things, it can also be used to tell me how many people are in my field of view and what their physical condition is. And that's everything. I have one or two ideas for potential improvements, but they haven't panned out in testing yet."

"Quite an interesting ability, I must say. Now I suppose it's my turn to explain the intricacies of One For All."

"Actually, it would be easier to just have you demonstrate it. Like I mentioned earlier..., oh wait, I forgot that part. You interrupted my description of **Structural Analysis** , and I got sidetracked for a while. I can learn the name of a Quirk with a glance, but not how it works. With **Structural Analysis** though, I can. Remember when I mentioned that I'd analyzed a bunch of different fighting styles? I can do the same thing with Quirks. Obviously I can't use them, but I can learn their strengths and weaknesses, as well as how they can be utilized more efficiently."

"Very well then. Watch closely, Young Midoriya," the man said, rising to his feet.

Izuku stood up as well, and prepared to witness the arrival of the greatest Hero in the world.

Toshinori shook the sleep out of his left leg, stretched his arms up over his head and took a deep breath. He let his mind clear as he felt the flames of his power warm him from the inside out. He felt his muscles expand and his blood flow increase. And just like that, where there had been a frail, emaciated man a few moments earlier, now stood the Symbol of Peace, All Might, in all his glory.

"THE FU...!"

 ***SNAP* *BOOM* *CRASH***

All Might quickly shifted back to his small form as he and Midoriya ran towards the source of the disturbance. There, at the base of a tree, was an angry blond lying on his back muttering obscenities.

"Ka-kacchan, what are you doing here?" Izuku wondered aloud, reaching down to help his brother up.

"What am _I_ doing here?! The real question is what the fuck are _you_ doing here with _Him_?!" Katsuki replied, pointing over at Toshinori, who had finally caught up to the green-haired boy.

"Look, kid, I don't know what you think you saw, but there's a perfectly reasonable explanation for..." The skinny man tried to say, before the explosive teen cut him off.

"You're All Might," was his simple response. He said it with a finality that left no room for debate.

Before the Hero had a chance to speak up, Izuku interjected.

"It's okay Mr. Yagi, you can trust him. He's my brother."

"Name's Katsuki Bakugō, and don't you forget it! One day that name will be at the top of the Hero Ranking Board, above even you!"

"Brothers? But the two of you look nothing alike. Not to mention, you have two different family names. Am I missing something here?"

"About that..."

"Izuku, you don't have to say anything if you don't want to. I can tell him."

"N-no, it's my story, I've got it. Nine years ago next Thursday, my mom died in a Villain-related car crash. You might not know her name, but you've probably heard about the incident. It was the same guys that killed the 'Battery Hero', Surge. Since then, I've lived with Kacchan and his family."

"I see, I'm sorry for your loss. If you vouch for him, Young Midoriya, I suppose I can tell him my secret."

And so, Toshinori once again related his tale, as Katsuki stood in an uncharacteristic silence. When he finished, there was silence. No one said anything, no one even moved for a solid minute. If it weren't for the rustling of the leaves and the distant hum of traffic, one might have said that time itself had frozen. Suddenly, the moment was shattered by a loud ringing. The three of them blinked in confusion, before Katsuki reached into his pocket and pulled out his cellphone.

Checking the CallerID, he mumbled a soft, "shit," before answering it.

"What!" He shouted at the person on the other end, annoyance lacing his voice.

Although the other two were a few feet away from him, they heard the angry voice of Mitsuki Bakugō as if she were right there with them.

 _"KATSUKI, WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU?!"_

"AT THE BEACH WITH IZUKU! HE LEFT TOO, I DON'T SEE YOU YELLING AT HIM!

 _"HE AT LEAST LEFT A NOTE! YOU COULDN'T EVEN HAVE BOTHERED TO JUST ADD YOUR NAME ON TO HIS, YOU LITTLE SHIT?!"_

"I WAS IN A HURRY! I HAVE STUFF TO DO, YOU CRAZY BITCH!"

 _"YOU WERE JUST ATTACKED BY A VILLAIN YESTERDAY! YOU CAN'T JUST DO WHATEVER YOU WANT, WHAT IF YOUR DUMB ASS GETS INTO ANOTHER PROBLEM?"_

"IZUKU AND I HANDLED THINGS YESTERDAY. AS LONG AS HE'S WITH ME, WE'RE UNSTOPPABLE!"

 _"ENOUGH, PUT IZUKU ON THE DAMN PHONE!"_

Handing the phone over, Izuku picked up the conversation.

"H-hey, Auntie Mitsuki, how are you?"

 _"Fine, kiddo, don't worry about it. Listen, please be sure to keep an eye on that idiot. Lord knows what he'd get himself into if you weren't around. You kids have fun, but remember to be home before dinner, okay?"_

"I got it."

 _"I know you do, sweetie. Talk to you later."_

"Bye."

Izuku hung up the phone, releasing his breath as he handed it back to it's owner.

"Well, that could have gone worse. Oh well, moving on..."

"Hold up, nerd. Don't try and avoid the subject. We still have to talk about this 'All Might' thing."

"Do we really, though? I th-thought he did a perfectly good job of explaining the situation."

"He did, but he missed one thing. You're what now, like his sidekick? Ward, protégé, apprentice?"

"Apprentice sounds best," Toshinori cut in, before Bakugo put a finger in front of the man's lips.

"Not talking to you right now, old man. This is a family matter. So, Izuku, I'll let you do this on one condition."

"Y-you can't just.."

 _ **"One. Condition." *BOOM***_

"Okay."

"If you're getting some fancy training from All Might, then so am I!

"But, the training is to prepare my body for..."

"Yeah, I heard that! So what?! I don't care if you have one Quirk or two, hell you could have two hundred Quirks and it wouldn't change anything! When they put names up on a board, mine will be at the top! You'll be second obviously, but number one belongs to me!"

"That seems a bit arrogant of you, Young Bakugō. Self-confidence is important, but too much pride can be bad as well," Toshinori said, trying to re-insert himself in the conversation.

"It's not arrogance, it's... Izuku, you were there. Do that creepy thing you do where you quote someone perfectly."

"'You are a raging inferno of power and ambition, young one, but there is more to life than that. Power properly tempered becomes strength, ambition correctly harnessed becomes resolve. I cannot change who you are, but I can show you a new point of view. You desire to be the best, so use that as your weapon. Declare that you will be great, not as a threat against others, but as a promise to yourself. Never let your faith waver, and even if you do not reach your goal, if you stay true to your ideals, you will have no regrets.'"

"That. My sensei, Master Lee, taught me that five years ago. I don't really care if I make to the top or not, but I have to keep believing that I can. Fear and doubt have no place in the heart of a true warrior."

"I understand, that is an impressive lesson for someone your age to grasp so well. All right, I shall teach you as well. For today, we'll start simple. There are ten months before the UA Entrance Exam, so let's not waste any time. With the two of you working together, it should take half that time to clear all the trash from the beach."

"To do _what_ now?!" Katsuki shouted indignantly.

"Being a Hero isn't just about battling Villains and rescuing people from disasters. Back before Quirks, the true Heroes were the people who did things for their communities, with no expectation of reward, other than the satisfaction of a job well done."

"Fine. But we're not gonna waste five months on this. We'll be done in three."

* * *

 **Three months, and nine days later...**

* * *

"Now move that fridge three feet to the left and we're done," Izuku instructed, as he carried the last two tires to the dump truck Toshinori had acquired for them.

Katsuki followed the green-haired boy's directions, then used his Quirk to toss the broken appliance into the truck bed. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he leaned against the wall and took a drink from his water bottle. "We did it. Took about a week longer than I thought, but I blame that on the damn junk freighter that sank last month. There were like, six whole vans on that thing, fuck!"

"It's fine. We still finished over a month and a half earlier than All Might said it would take. That alone shows how strong we are as a team."

"Damn straight! Like I said, you and I are going right to the top! Katsuki and Izuku, the best Heroes in the history of the world!"

"You mean Izuku and Katsuki, right? I'm not just going to let you take the top spot without a fight."

"Heh, all this training is going to your head bro. But you're right, it will be a fight. If it were easy to become the best, there wouldn't be any point to doing it."

The two boys fist-bumped, then signaled the truck driver that he was good to go. As it pulled away, it revealed All Might standing on the other side. His smile was brighter than the sun, and he began to clap as he walked over to them.

 _ **"CONGRATULATIONS ON A JOB WELL DONE BOYS! I'M IMPRESSED WITH THE QUALITY OF YOUR WORK, AS WELL AS YOUR EFFICIENCY!"**_

"Thanks, All Might"

"Yeah, we kicked ass!"

 _ **"INDEED! NOW THEN, STEP FORWARD YOUNG MIDORIYA AND CLAIM YOUR REWARD!"**_

Izuku took a step forward, waiting nervously as the Symbol of Peace reached up and plucked a single hair from his head. It glowed with unnatural light as it was then held out in front of his face.

 _ **"EAT THIS!"**_

Both of the aspiring Heroes stood in shocked silence for a moment, before Katsuki fell on his ass, unable to contain his laughter.

"W-what?" Izuku stuttered, looking at All Might like the man had grown a second head.

 _ **"YOU HAVE TO ABSORB SOME OF MY DNA TO OBTAIN ONE FOR ALL, AND THIS IS THE LEAST DISGUSTING WAY TO DO THAT!"**_

"I-if you say so," he responded, taking the hair. Ignoring Katsuki, who was still rolling on the sand, Izuku quickly did as he was told. Then he took a gulp of water to wash it down into his stomach.

 ** _"EXCELLENT! IT'S 10AM, SO YOU SHOULD BE DONE DIGESTING IT SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 4 TO 6PM! SO GO HOME, HAVE LUNCH, TAKE A BREAK AND CALL ME WHEN YOU CAN FEEL THE POWER BEGIN TO MANIFEST! NOW IF YOU'LL EXCUSE ME, I HAVE A FEW ERRANDS TO RUN! SEE YOU TONIGHT BOYS!"_**

Before Izuku had a chance to react, All Might had already leapt into the air, leaving him alone with his brother.

Katsuki pulled himself together, and used a small explosion to get back on his feet. Wrapping an arm around Izuku's shoulder, he lightly poked the stunned boy in the face.

"Yo, Earth to Izuku, you in there?"

Blinking rapidly, the analytical teen refocused on reality and nodded.

"Alright Kacchan, you heard him. Let's go take a nice break. I haven't had a moment to relax since we started this whole thing."

Nodding back, the two boys made their way home, excited and tired in equal measure.

* * *

 **A few hours later...**

* * *

Toshinori checked his watch. _'5:53. I wonder if they're here already?'_ He thought, stepping out of the police cruiser. The driver's side door opened up, and Detective Tsukauchi also exited the vehicle. He was a rather plain-looking man, the only distinguishing features being his tan trench coat and matching fedora. The two adults started walking towards the beach when a loud voice called out to them.

"Get back in the fucking car! We gotta go!" Katsuki shouted, fear evident in his eyes.

"Young Bakugō, what's wrong? Where is Young Midoriya?"

"I'll explain on the way, just move!"

The three of them got into the car, and Tsukauchi started driving.

"Which way?" The detective asked, looking at Katsuki in the rear-view mirror.

"South along the beach! Hurry!"

"Relax," Toshinori said, trying to calm the explosive teen. "What exactly is going on?"

"That's just it, I have no idea! I've never seen Izuku act like this before!"

"Like what? Start from the beginning."

"Okay then, shut up and pay attention! About thirty minutes ago, we were having dinner like always, when he suddenly stopped. He took his glasses off and started rubbing his eyes, complaining about how his brain itched."

"His what..."

"I said shut up! Anyway, I figured this was the new power kicking in, so I texted you then helped him get up and head for the beach. Normally, he can control his Quirk and quietly internalize it, but tonight it was like his mouth was moving faster than his brain. We passed a construction site, and next thing I know, he's reciting the 'Addendum to the Building Standards Act of 2198'. We get to the park with that tree I fell out of a few months ago, he starts talking about Kamui Woods' fundraiser for the conservation of the Amazon Rainforest. Then he saw a whale out in the ocean and explained how the noise caused by sea travel was negatively impacting their migration patterns. Next..."

"Okay, we get it. Can you..."

"Shh! My story! And this one is important because it scares me. He saw a flock of seagulls and said there was going to be a hurricane..."

"But the weather is fine, and we're in the Pacific Ocean. They're called typhoons. It's unlike Young Midoriya to make an error like that."

"Will you let me finish?! I know all of that. He meant a hurricane, in Puerto Rico, next month. He looked at some fucking sky rats and predicted a storm on the other side of the world!"

"Good lord, that's a frightening ability."

"After that, he looked down at his own hands and froze. Like, no movement, no blinking, no breathing. Just stood there for about ten seconds. Then he closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, they were different. Normally, they just glow with a laser-like directness. But these eyes burned like an emerald flame, intense and unfocused. Then he started counting. Not like regular counting though. He started at 0.2 and went randomly up from there. When he got to five, bursts of green lightning started arcing off of his body, and I had to back up. He stopped at 9.83, said 'Maximum sustainable level achieved', and took off. Just started running faster than I've ever seen anyone except you move. That was about a minute before you got here. And now you know everything I know. Care to shed any light on the situation?"

"I suppose that's... Tsukauchi, turn here! That's him!"

The trio pulled in to a small parking lot and exited the vehicle. Hurrying down to the small dock they had just arrived at, they found Izuku curled up in the fetal position, with his hands over his ears. His lips were moving rapidly, but no sound was coming out. Bakugo looked up at Toshinori with a mix of anger and confusion on his face.

"What's happening, what did you do to him?!"

"I didn't... oh shit. I forgot about that," the man said, more to himself than anyone else.

"Forgot what?! Answer me!"

"I don't remember if I told you boys or not, but before I received One For All, I was Quirkless. So, when it was passed on to me, there was nothing else for it to interact with. It just merged seamlessly into my body. But for someone with a Quirk, like my master or Young Midoriya here, there's another step to it. One For All also has to bond with the wielder's original ability. My master explained it to me once, but I didn't really understand what she meant, because I had no frame of reference for it. She said it was like thinking you were listening to music at a ten on your speakers, then suddenly finding out that you were actually at one, and then someone cranked it up to eleven."

"Alright, but what does that mean for him?"

"He'll be fine. Right now he's acclimating to the new power flowing through his body. Luckily for us, it looks like his Quirk was able to keep him somewhat focused. When my master was given this ability, she was in Tokyo. They found her the next day on top of Mt. Fuji, with a concussion and three broken ribs."

"So, what now?"

"Now we take the two of you home. Make sure he gets a good night's rest, and I'll explain everything tomorrow."

"Fine," Katsuki grumbled, lifting Izuku up and tossing him over his shoulder. He took his brother to the cop car, set him in the back seat and put his seatbelt on. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out Izuku's sunglasses, placing them over his brother's eyes.

The adults got in the front, and they rode in silence back to the boys' house.

* * *

 **Bakugō Household, 5 minutes later...**

* * *

Mitsuki Bakugō was sitting on her couch, watching some trashy American reality show, when there was a knock at the door. She was confused, because she wasn't expecting any guests at this hour, and Katsuki and Izuku would just walk in. Groaning at the intrusion into her personal time, she got up and went to find out who it was.

"WHO IS IT?!" she yelled as she opened the door.

"Good evening, ma'am, my name is Detective Naomasa Tsukauchi with..." the man at her door started to say before she cut him off.

"How much?" she asked, reaching for her purse.

"I beg your pardon?"

"What did Katsuki do, and how much do I owe you?"

"Oh no, it's nothing like that, I assure you. Your son and his friend were just out enjoying the last bit of sunlight when the other boy, Izuku Midoriya, had a small Quirk malfunction and passed out."

"Oh no, is he okay?! Where is he?! I'll take him to the doctor right away!"

"Please calm yourself, he's perfectly fine. He just needs sleep is all. I just happened to be in the neighborhood and gave them a ride. According to your son, the other boy lives here as well, is that correct?"

"Yes, ever since his mother passed away almost a decade ago."

"I'm sorry to hear that. The two of them are in the backseat of my car, if you'd like to get them."

"Of course, thank you, Detective."

"Just doing my job, miss."

* * *

 **The next morning...**

* * *

Izuku woke up slowly, then paused. He looked around and realized he was in his bedroom.

 _"How did I get here? I remember going to the beach, Kacchan and I finished cleaning it, then All Might was there..."_

"Knock it off with that, it's creepy!" Katsuki shouted, entering the room and taking a seat at Izuku's desk.

"Right, sorry. Um, so, can you tell me how I got here?"

"What's the last thing you remember?"

"We were eating dinner, and then this burning sensation started in my brain, and then I was here."

And so, Katsuki once again told the story of Izuku's wild night, adding in the important parts of his conversation with All Might and their trip home in the back of a squad car. When he was finished, he stood up, went to his brother's dresser, grabbed one of his workout outfits and tossed it at him.

"Now let's go, he said the fun part starts today!" Katsuki finished, as sparks popped in his hand, illuminating his predatory grin. "It's time to test out what you can do!"

* * *

 **Holy crap! That was a ride. I wanted to end the Setup Arc this chapter, but I kept getting sidetracked. Like, everything with Tsukauchi was added in late Thursday night, but I think it turned out well. We will finish the Setup Arc next chapter, but in a flashback, because I do really want to get to the Entrance Exam. The poll is closed, and it was six to one in favor of weekly releases. I can't think of anything else to say about this chapter, so I guess I'll just sign off there. Please rate and review and I'll see you guys next week.**


	4. Volume 4: Examinations

**I AM HERE! With the next fantastic chapter of this epic tale. Before we begin however, I have a few things to say. I received a series of guest reviews from Bob Le Destroyer, and he made a few points that I feel require my attention. I will start with the easiest question, and work my way up from there.**

 **1: Yes, Eraserhead is an Underground Hero, but underground is not the same as unknown. He avoids the press, but that doesn't mean he's never in the news. Even if he isn't directly interviewed, he is still an officially licensed Pro Hero, who must submit reports about his actions, and whose name would be officially listed in articles about arrests that he was involved in. Also, the only source I could find refers to Death Arms' Quirk as an Enhancement Type, not a Mutation Type, so Eraserhead's ability would work on him.**

 **2: Death Arms' origin is never explicitly discussed in the manga, but he has been around for a while. In the spin-off series, My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, he is present at a meeting that includes Endeavor, Best-Jeanist, Snipe, Gunhead, Thirteen, Air Jet, Ingenium, Eraserhead and Midnight. All Might was also invited to this meeting, but couldn't be there in person, so he has Detective Tsukauchi proxy for him. The meeting takes place before either Midnight or Eraserhead are teachers at UA, meaning it happened at least one year before the main story, with the best answer I found placing it roughly four years before. Using 2257 as our starting point, that puts the meeting in 2253, which is five years after Izuku and Katsuki's playground conversation. Considering the amount of talent in the room, it's logical to assume that Death Arms would have to be an experienced Hero by this point, so him starting out around 2252-2253 is a reasonable assumption on my part.**

 **3: Izuku's Quirk is helpful for noticing pursuers, but he isn't omniscient. He was running through a busy city around the time hundreds of office workers would be on their way to work, and Katsuki has known what his Quirk can do for almost a decade at that point. A lot of people seem to forget that Lord Explosion Murder is actually really smart himself. It isn't unreasonable to assume that he would be able to devise a way to avoid detection by Izuku. As for All Might, he had no reason to believe that he would need to show off his Quirk until Izuku asked, and he was on a deserted beach that people didn't go to anymore, minimizing the threat of being seen. Also, Japan has more than just palm trees, and at no point did I describe the tree Katsuki fell out of as one.**

 **And 4: Inko Midoriya. I could have said that I killed her for plot purposes, but that wouldn't be the truth. Her living or dying wouldn't have changed much regarding this story, because Izuku's home life isn't a major focus of this story. No, like I said at the end of the first chapter, she died because I don't like her. But, I suppose I should explain why, because apparently some people disagree with me. First, when she broke down in tears and apologized to Izuku for him being Quirkless, if he wasn't the sweetest, most pure soul in existence, that moment would have psychologically damaged him for life. I'm sorry that you were born different is one of the worst things a parent could ever tell their kid. Second, I really hate when anime in general take a joke that wasn't very funny to begin with and take it to the extreme. In One Piece, it was when Sanji's bloody noses caused an actual medical emergency that took several episodes to resolve. On a much smaller scale, but no less annoying, was how Inko's projectile crying caused her to actually faint multiple times. But, my biggest issue is with her decision regarding the dorms. It would be one thing if she was against it from the start, but she and Izuku talked about it and she agreed to it, then changed her mind later, on her own. That is the moment, when she basically gave up on him for the second time in his life, that was to much for me. Even when she says she'd be fine with him trying to be a Hero at another school, she's missing the point. By that point in the story, Izuku has interfered with the League of Villains' plans on three separate occasions. If he dropped out of Heroism all together and became an office worker, Tomura Shigaraki and Himiko Toga both specifically are after him. It doesn't matter to them what he does, they will try to kill or kidnap him, no matter what. UA is the only place with the resources and experience to protect him, and she's just like "Yeah, but he gets hurt so much at UA." No, he's been hurt going too far trying to save people. If you were against him being hurt, you wouldn't have even let him apply to be a Hero in the first place. Heroes get hurt, people get hurt. That's how life works, and to think that you can protect someone from that pain by denying them their own free will isn't just naive, it's dangerous.**

 **I'm not asking any of you to agree with me, I just want you to understand my opinion on this.**

 **Moving on, let's just jump into the story.**

* * *

They were here. They'd dreamt about this day since they were four years old. Had spent the last ten months rigorously preparing for this moment. And now, looking up at the massive glass-and-concrete buildings in front of them, Izuku Midoriya and Katsuki Bakugo felt a sense of excitement begin to grow in the pit of their stomachs.

Ultra Academy, known simply to most as UA, was the premier Hero School in Japan. Sure, Shiketsu High may boast about a rivalry between the two, and Ketsubutsu had a fine reputation of its own. But' if you wanted to truly make a name for yourself, UA was the place to go. The only thing keeping it from consistently being ranked number one in the world was The Xavier Institute in America.

Run by the most powerful telepath in the world, and staffed by an eccentric group of Pro Heroes that included the legendary Wolverine, a man who had been born over 150 years ago and fought in the First and Second Quirk Wars, they made their mark as a haven of tolerance and understanding. They even accepted Quirkless students, something UA hadn't permitted until this year.

Taking a deep breath, the two boys entered the gate and took the next step towards their future.

Or they'd just die.

In their rush to get inside first, they had ended up tripping over each other. They prepared for the impact, but it never came. Opening their eyes, they noticed that they were floating a few inches off the ground.

"I'm sorry I used my Quirk on you without asking first, but I figured you wouldn't want to fall flat on your faces right before the exam. Bad luck, you know?" A bubbly girl said, clapping her hands together with a smile. She righted the two boys before disabling her power. "Well, I hope I see you again. Bye." She added, heading inside the Entrance Hall before they could respond.

 _'She seemed nice,'_ Izuku thought.

 _'Her face was very round,'_ was Katsuki's brilliant takeaway from the encounter.

The rest of the walk to the Auditorium was uneventful, and they quickly found their seats. Settling in, the two of them decided to observe the area.

Katsuki looked around the room to scout out the competition. There were hundreds of people packed into the stands, but even without Izuku's Quirk, he could count most of them out with just one glance. A few of them stood out though, and he observed them for a couple of seconds each, taking note to keep an eye out for them later.

The boy with the bird head clad in black, standing in the corner talking to his shadow.

The girl with hair made of vines, sitting silently in prayer.

The guy with spiky red hair and sharp teeth, grinning determinedly while cracking his knuckles.

The empty tank top and short shorts, floating in the aisle.

Izuku on the other hand, was mostly looking ahead, keeping his eyes down behind his sunglasses. Suddenly, a sleepy voice to his right spoke up.

"What's with the shades? You some kind of secret agent or something?"

Looking over, he saw a boy with light purple hair almost as messy as his own, who looked like he had never heard of the concept of sleep before.

"Oh, n-no. They're to keep my Quirk contained. It's fairly intrusive, so I avoid using it on people without permission."

"What kind of Quirk is that?"

"It's called 'Analysis', and if I look at someone, I can learn all kinds of things about them, like their name, age, blood type and Quirk. If I have eye contact with them, I can even read their mind slightly."

"Wow, and people call _me_ a villain."

"What? Why would anyone say that?"

"Because my Quirk is 'Brainwashing'. I can make anyone do whatever I want them to, and all I have to do is make them talk to me first."

"That sounds so cool though. _You could defuse hostage situations without any collateral damage, or subdue a criminal with almost no effort at all. Depending on how it functions, you could even have someone tell you where their hideout is or what they're planning to..."_

Without warning, Izuku was slapped in the back of the head.

"You're doing it again, nerd. This is why you don't have any other friends, you scare them all away by overanalyzing them and making them uncomfortable!"

"Ow, that doesn't mean you can just hit me, Kacchan. But you're right," Izuku replied, looking back at the tired boy. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine. Like I said before, most people go straight to calling me a Villain, so this is technically an improvement. I'm Hitoshi Shinsō by the way."

"Right, introductions. I'm Izuku Midoriya, and this is my adoptive brother..."

"Katsuki Bakugō, future number one Hero, and don't you forget it!"

Before their conversation could continue, the lights went out.

A single spotlight illuminated the podium as a hydraulic lift brought someone up from below.

 _"HELLO BOYS AND GIRLS, I'M YOUR ILLUSTRIOUS HOST, THE DJ OF UA, PRESENT MIC!"_ He introduced himself, pausing for an applause that didn't come.

 _"EXCELLENT, YOU'RE ALL FOCUSED AND READY TO GO, I DIG IT! IN THAT CASE LET'S JUMP RIGHT IN TO THE NITTY GRITTY AND TALK ABOUT THE EXAMS! YESTERDAY, YOU EACH TOOK THE WRITTEN PORTION AT YOUR LOCAL TESTING SITES, BUT TODAY'S MAIN EVENT IS THE PRACTICAL EXAM! YOU'LL BE USING YOUR QUIRKS TO BATTLE FAUX VILLAINS IN SUPER HIP URBAN SETTINGS!"_

Gesturing behind him, a projector displayed an image of a city, with three silhouettes surrounding it.

 _"NOW, IF YOU LOOK AT THE SCREEN HERE, YOU'LL SEE THREE DIFFERENT TYPES OF VILLAINS, EACH WITH A DIFFERENT POINT VALUE ASSIGNED TO THEM! YOUR GOAL IS TO DEFEAT AS MANY AS YOU CAN IN A TEN MINUTE PERIOD! YOU CAN USE ANY SKILLS OR EQUIPMENT YOU BROUGHT WITH YOU, BUT JUST KNOW THAT PLAYING THE ANTI-HERO WILL RESULT IN AN AUTOMATIC DISQUALIFICATION!"_

"Excuse me, sir, but I have a question?" A tall boy with glasses interjected, his movements appearing unnaturally stiff and choppy.

 _"ALRIGHT, LISTENER REQUESTS ARE USUALLY SAVED FOR THE END, BUT LAY IT ON ME!"_

"You said there were three types of Villains, yet this pamphlet we received contains four. If this is a mistake on official UA material, then it is a stain on the reputation of the finest Hero Academy in Japan. Furthermore," the boy added, turning around to point at Izuku, "you, with the messy hair and sunglasses. If you're just going to sit there mumbling, you might as well leave. This is a serious situation, and you are causing a distraction."

Izuku was about to respond to the other boy's challenge, when Present Mic interrupted them.

 _"THANKS FOR CALLING IN, EXAMINEE NUMBER 7111! YOU ARE CORRECT, THERE IS A FOURTH TYPE OF VILLAIN. IT'S MORE LIKE A TRAP THAN AN ENEMY THOUGH! SEE, THE REGULAR ONES ARE WORTH ONE, TWO AND THREE POINTS RESPECTIVELY, BUT THE TRAP VILLAIN IS A SCORE MULTIPLYER! SPECIFICALLY, TIMES ZERO! SOMETIMES, BEING A HERO MEANS KNOWING WHEN TO FIGHT AND WHEN TO HOLD BACK! WE WON'T STOP YOU FROM FIGHTING IT, BUT WINNING WILL HURT YOU JUST AS MUCH AS IT!_

"I see, thank you for the clarification."

 _"NOW THEN, BACK ON TRACK ONE, YOU WILL HAVE TEN MINUTES TO GET AS MANY POINTS AS YOU CAN! ONCE THE BELL RINGS, IT'S GAME OVER! WE'LL TALLY UP THE POINTS, AND SEND YOU YOUR RESULTS NEXT WEEK! BEFORE YOU GO THOUGH, I'LL LEAVE YOU WITH A TASTE OF OUR SCHOOL MOTTO! THE GREAT HERO NAPOLEON BONAPARTE ONCE SAID, 'TRUE HEROISM CONSISTS IN BEING SUPERIOR TO THE ILLS OF LIFE, IN WHATEVER SHAPE THEY MAY CHALLENGE US TO COMBAT!' OR, TO PUT IT IN SIMPLER TERMS, GO BEYOND!"_ He concluded, once again waiting for an applause that didn't come. Coughing lightly, he pushed a button on the podium, and the lift descended, leaving them alone in silence.

After a few seconds, the room slowly grew louder as everyone discussed what they were supposed to do now. Judging by the overly theatrical presentation they just sat through, Izuku guessed that it was some sort of pretest to see how they would react. Figuring that he should inform his new friend of his observation, he turned to look at Shinsō and stopped. The sleepy-eyed boy looked visibly upset about something, so he decided to check on him.

"What's the matter, Shinsō?"

"It just had to be robots. Why wouldn't it? People like me don't have a place in the Hero business. It's all about having a flashy Quirk that lets you show off how strong you are. I should just go home now and save myself the pain."

"Is that all?"

"What do you mean, 'Is that all?' Weren't you listening, this test is rigged against me. I can't brainwash something that doesn't have a brain, and I'm not particularly strong either. There's no way I can win."

"That's not necessarily true. What training group are you in?"

"What? How is that relevant to..."

"Just tell me what group you're in, and I'll explain."

"Alright, group B. So what?"

"So, I'm also in group B."

"Well congratulations, you have one less opponent to worry about."

"Do I really need to spell it out for you? Fine. I, Izuku Midoriya, am going to make it my mission to see that you, Hitoshi Shinsō, get in to the Hero Course, no matter what."

"But why? We just met fifteen minutes ago."

"Yeah, well, except for Kacchan, I've never really had any friends, and you seem nice. So I'm keeping you."

"Huh? You can't just..."

"Ahpupup, I already decided. We're friends now, and friends help each other. So let's go make you a Hero," Izuku declared, standing up and grabbing Shinso by the collar. As he dragged his new friend past Bakugō, indigo eyes met red, silently asking what was happening. Katsuki merely shrugged and stood up as well, joining them in creating a procession towards the exit.

Slowly, the other applicants realized what was going on, and they all filed out into the Courtyard. They separated into their assigned groups and got on the appropriately labelled bus. Izuku, Shinsō and the tall boy from earlier got on B; Katsuki, the nice girl and the bird-headed boy got on A. Once everyone was seated, the busses embarked towards their destinations.

* * *

 **Testing Ground B...**

* * *

"And that's the plan. Any questions?" Izuku asked, as he and Shinsō exited the vehicle.

"Are you sure about this? Not helping me would get you more points, you know."

"True, but what kind of Hero thinks of his own glory before the needs of the people? A shitty one, that's who. Just because you can't punch things into submission doesn't mean you don't deserve to be a Hero. So, like I said, I'm going to make you one."

"Thanks, Midoriya. You're the first person who's ever believed in me like this. Even my parents were skeptical that I could succeed."

"That's what friends are for, to have faith in each other, no matter what. Now, prep time."

Izuku removed his sunglasses and put them in his bag. Leaving it in the waiting area, he blinked three times in rapid succession, as his eyes lit up in their usual way.

 _ **"Strength Enhancement: 10%."**_

Green lightning sparked across his body, and the glow of his eyes turned wilder, like flames.

"What?! You said your Quirk was 'Analysis', how did you do that?"

"I'll explain later. For now, just follow my lead and stick to the plan. See you on the other side."

Just then, Present Mic's voice rang out from all around them. _"BEGIN!"_

Without a moment of hesitation, Izuku disappeared in a flash. The rest of the examinees remained still, confusion on their faces. They were stirred from their hesitation by the PA system coming back online.

 _"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR, THERE ARE NO COUNTDOWNS IN A REAL BATTLE! GO, GO, GO, GO!"_

And thus, the UA Entrance Exam was underway.

Shinsō ran in and began looking for his new friend. It only took a few seconds to spot the green blur sparking in and out of the alleyways, and a few more for it to come to a stop next to him.

"Okay, the one pointers have poor balance, the two pointers have a bundle of exposed wires at the base of their tails and the three pointers have an access panel on their backs. I recommend using sneak attacks. Otherwise, see if you can help anyone out who might be having trouble."

"Got it. Thanks again."

"Don't worry about it, just go out and get some points. If you're overwhelmed or need my help for any reason, just call my name. I have excellent hearing and quick reflexes. Now, back to the exam."

And as quickly as he appeared, he was gone. A flash of green was all Shinsō saw as Izuku turned and ran back into the city.

"Show off," Shinsō muttered, deciding to go the other way around.

"I heard that!"

"Holy shit!"

"Language!"

"Oh, just go already!"

Receiving no response, he let out a defeated sigh and went to find a robot to try and beat.

* * *

 **Monitoring Room, a few minutes later...**

* * *

A group of people sat in a dark room, observing the many screens on the wall in front of them.

"This year's crop has some real potential," a voice spoke up, cutting through the silence.

"Indeed," a second, higher voice replied, 'and they have so many different strategies as well. Some are gathering intel on their enemies," it said, pointing at a few different screens. On one, a boy with six arms stood on a rooftop, eyes and ears sprouting from his wrists instead of hands. Another showed a girl with headphone jacks for earlobes plugging them into the street, waiting to feel the vibrations of movement along the asphalt.

"Others are using brute force to rack up points quickly." The next screen had the tall boy from the Auditorium using his powerful legs to crush the robots with high velocity spin kicks. Bakugō was center stage on one, gleefully turning the faux villains into charred, sometimes lightly melted, scrapheaps.

"Sure, it's impressive, but what they do next is what matters," a third, tired voice chimed in, flipping open a glass cover guarding a red button. "Now the real test begins."

* * *

 **Back with Izuku...**

* * *

"Sixty-four," he noted, after taking out a three pointer. "I thought this would be harder. I guess I really have improved since that first day on the beach, huh?" He stopped to rest for a moment, his mind drifting back to his first conscious use of 'One For All'.

* * *

 **Flashback, six and a half months ago...**

* * *

After getting dressed, Katsuki had practically dragged him out of the house, a dangerous gleam in his eyes.

They got to the beach and found Toshinori standing there, gazing out to sea. He turned as he heard them approach, a concerned look in his eyes.

"Young Midoriya, how are you feeling today?"

"A lot better, thanks for asking. Actually, I feel like I'm a whole new person."

"Oh, how so?"

"My senses are sharper, for one. I can see more colors, longer distances and crisper definition. My thoughts move faster, and I can hear the beating of other people's hearts."

"Yes, that's 'One For All' powering up your Quirk. You should find that all of your natural abilities have improved, but that's just a side effect. Young Bakugō told me you started calculating percentages and letting off sparks of green lightning last night. Do you remember why you did that?"

"I actually thought a lot about that on the train ride here. Kacchan told me what happened last night, and I managed to figure it out. When 'One For All' finally kicked in, it overclocked 'Analysis', temporarily interfering with my higher brain functions. Once we were here, and I looked at myself, the Quirks started to fuse. 'Analysis' ran a diagnostic on my body and came to the conclusion that I could handle about ten percent of 'One For All's' full power."

"What about now? Can you still feel it, or is it off?"

"It's off right now. It wasn't active when I woke up, and I didn't want to try using it again until you were around."

"Well, I'm here now, so let's see what you've got."

Nodding, Izuku concentrated, feeling the new energy flowing inside of him. He reached out to it, willing it to come to his aid. He heard the crackle of electricity and opened his eyes. He saw the lightning, but it felt different. A quick scan easily revealed the issue.

"It looks like I'm only at 5.26% now. My mind is preventing me from pushing it any further."

"Interesting. It shouldn't matter too much. As you grow and get stronger, you should be able to access more. But for now, let's see what you can do with the five percent you do have. Young Bakugō!"

During their conversation, Katsuki had gotten bored and wandered off to find something to hit. Hearing Mr. Yagi call for him, however, made him turn back to the two of them.

"It's time. Please come and spar with Young Midoriya."

His predatory smile returned, and he brought his fists together.

 ***BOOM***

* * *

 **End Flashback...**

* * *

 ***BOOM***

Izuku was pulled back to the present by a huge explosion. Looking up, he went pale.

 _'So, that's the Trap Villain. Oh, that's not good. I can already imagine Kacchan's reaction. Right about now, he's probably thinking..."_

* * *

 **Testing Ground A...**

* * *

 _'I want to fight it!'_

He'd been having a good time. He got to blow up some robots, fly around and generally use his Quirk with gleeful abandon. Then _it_ had to show up. A giant robot, several stories tall, and he would be penalized if he attacked it. He had seventy-three points so far, if his math was correct, which it always was. There wasn't much time left on the exam, and even if he had more, he doubted there were enough enemies left to regain his score.

 _'It's not fair! If there was any justice in this world, I'd be allowed to beat the shit out of that thing! God, please give me a reason, any reason, to have to fight that thing!'_

At that exact moment, as if in direct answer to his silent prayer, he heard a scream. Racing around the corner, he found his reason.

There, trapped under some rubble, was the round-faced girl from the Courtyard. If somebody didn't do something, she was going to get squashed like a bug by the large machine. Luckily for her, he was somebody, and he had something he wanted to try.

 _'Thanks God, you're a real bro! Now let's see how this new move works in combat.'_

He brought his hands together in front of himself, and made an 'O' with his fingers. He took a deep breath, aimed and fired.

 _ **"AP Shot!"**_

A concentrated beam of explosive force shot from his hands, flying directly at the robot's head. It impacted with so much strength that it shattered all the nearby windows. When the dust finally settled, the top quarter of the robot was gone. Without a head, it had no more power and stopped in it's tracks.

Running to the base of it, Katsuki found the girl still pinned to the ground by a large slab of concrete. He reached down under the debris and slid his hands in, palms facing up.

"What's up, Round-Face? Can you move?"

"'Round-Face'? That's rude, I have a name you know. And no, obviously I can't, there's a giant chunk of building on top of me."

"Okay, one: I don't know your actual name, and B: I meant if I moved this crap!"

"Hmmph, well my name is..."

"We can deal with introductions once you're safe! All I need to know right now is, if I were to make this concrete go away, could you move, yes or no?"

"No," she replied sadly.

"Alright, looks like I have to do everything!"

With a light burst of energy, Katsuki launched the slab into the air. Quickly bending down, he grabbed her and pulled her out of the way. He picked her up bridal style, and started heading for the entrance. As he walked away, the slab landed back on the ground and crumbled into pieces.

"Now you can tell me your name, if you want," Katsuki said nonchalantly, not noticing the large blush on the girl's face.

"O-ochako. Ochako Uraraka."

* * *

 **Testing Ground B...**

* * *

Izuku was not having as much fun as Katsuki did with the Trap Villain. It was slowly making it's way to the small town square in the middle of Ground B, toppling buildings as it went.

Doing some quick calculations, he came to the conclusion that if he didn't do something, several people were going to be injured before time was called. Looking around the area, he spotted Shinsō, ripping the panel off of a three pointer. He ran over to his friend, waiting to be noticed.

As Shinsō pulled the plug on the robot, he saw Midoriya standing there.

"What's going on?"

"I need your help with something. We need to evacuate the square."

"Sure, what do you want me to do?"

"Start by telling them to leave. Help anyone who can't move quickly, and brainwash anyone who refuses. Trust me, they'll thank you for it later."

"Okay. What about you?"

"I'm going to stop that thing."

Their assignments clear, the two of them split up; Shinsō heading to the plaza, and Izuku taking the alley.

It took Izuku five jumps to get to the roof, and three more to get to the building closest to the robot. Checking the square about a block away, he saw Shinsō directing the other students out of the area. He had one person draped over his shoulder, and four that were moving too perfectly in sync to be natural. Turning back to the Villain, he watched as it fired a small missile from it's chest. The projectile connected with a small office complex, raining glass and debris down on the fleeing children.

Planning his next move carefully, he ran to the edge of the roof. A quick jump later, he landed on the robot's outstretched arm, then continued on toward it's head. When he got to the neck, he found what he was looking for. Opening the small hatch, he slipped into the machine's core. Following the cramped corridor to it's end, he reached a control panel. Inputting a few simple lines of code, Izuku managed to trap the CPU in an infinite feedback loop, halting it's advance.

Back on the ground, Shinsō was slowly nearing his destination. The annoying French kid he was holding up delayed him a bit, but Midoriya told him to help people in need, so that's what he'd do. Reaching the gates, he gently set the kid on the ground before dropping to his knees. His breathing was heavy, and his body hurt everywhere, but he was happy nonetheless. Twenty-four points was decent, considering he had no combat experience before today. Suddenly, Izuku appeared next to him.

"Good job, Shinsō. You got everyone clear."

"Yeah, but you still lost all your points. How are you..."

"I told you I'd make you a Hero, _no matter what._ Besides, unlike what people like Endeavor might think, being a Hero isn't a numbers game. As long as I can help one person, that's good enough for me."

Before they could continue speaking, a loud horn rang out, signaling the end of the exam. Izuku was about to help Shinsō to his feet when a small woman stopped him.

 **Name: Chiyo Shūzenji**

 **Age: 76**

 **DOB: April 4, 2181**

 **Height: 3' 9"**

 **Weight: 61lbs**

 **Blood Type: B**

 **Quirk: Heal**

"Let me help, dearie. Here, have some gummy candies," she said, putting the treats in Izuku's hands. She then proceeded to give Shinsō and the French kid a light kiss on their foreheads, before moving on to help the next group of students.

The two boys stood up, the pain they'd been in just moments ago completely gone. Then the blond one turned to look at Izuku and winked, literally sparkling as he did. Then he walked off towards the exit.

 **Name: Yūga Aoyama**

 **Age: 15**

 **DOB: May 30, 2242**

 **Height: 5' 6"**

 **Weight: 147.2lbs**

 **Blood Type: O**

 **Quirk: Navel Laser**

"Well, he was... interesting," Izuku mused, as he and Shinsō went to get their bags.

"He's not the only one. Spill, what does your Quirk do exactly?"

So Izuku explained the basic principles of his Quirk, and some of the Special Moves he had come up with, as they got back on the bus.

"That still doesn't explain the Strength Enhancement though."

"I was getting to that. It's actually an idea I've been working on for almost two years now, but couldn't get to work until about six months ago. I'd filled half a dozen notebooks with formulas and equations, but none of them panned out. See, the human body is technically capable of greater strength than we normally use, but our brains put limiters on us so we don't hurt ourselves. I experimented with increasing my adrenaline output or overwriting the limiters with pure force of will, and I got nowhere. But then, I saw All Might in action."

"Wait, you've seen All Might? Like, in real life?"

"Yeah, I was actually one of the kids involved in the Sludge Villain Incident last year."

"That's so cool! But what does that have to do with your Quirk?"

"Right. Because I was there, I got to analyze his Quirk first-hand. And that's when it all clicked. It took a few more months of R&D, but it was worth it. I found this old Medical Journal that talked about muscle enhancing techniques among pre-Quirk bodybuilders. Most of it was irrelevant, but the line that stood out talked about how even in normal people, if every muscle in your body could pull in the same direction, you could theoretically lift two and a half tons. With that info and my understanding of All Might's power, I went to work. After that, it was simply a matter of plugging in the numbers and some mental conditioning."

"Enough with the math, just give me the short answer!"

"Sorry. Basically, I can move energy from one part of my body to another through my nervous system. Humans aren't a hundred percent efficient, so a lot of that energy is lost. But I can store it, manipulate it to strengthen myself."

"Okay. You said ten percent when you used it before the test started. What was that about?"

"Ten percent of my maximum potential is the most I can harness right now. Any more than that, and my body starts to take damage. At one hundred percent, for example, the recoil would be so bad that every bone in my arm would explode if I tried to punch something."

"That's ridiculous. You're like that old pre-Quirk Hero Superman, from the comic books. You just come up with new powers whenever you feel like it. What's next, are you going to channel energy into your lungs and use Ice Breath?"

"What?" Izuku asked incredulously, as they reached the main campus. "No. That doesn't work."

"So you tried it?"

"I mean, yeah. I know who Superman is. I ran the numbers, and there is almost no way I could ever pull that off."

 _"Almost?"_

"It's a 0.0002% probability of success."

"Well, I'm done. I have other stuff to do today, so I guess I'll see you later."

"Alright, bye. See you in Hero Class!" He called out, as Shinso walked away. He waited for a few more seconds, then someone clapped him on the shoulder.

"Yo, nerd! Let's go home."

"Sure. So, how'd the exam go for you?"

The two brothers walked to the train station, discussing the day's events. While they left, a round-faced girl and a purple-haired boy stayed behind, marching determinedly towards the Main Office.

* * *

 **And that's it for this week's chapter. 4,875 words of story plus an additional thousand of ranting. I'm sorry if I upset anyone, but at the end of the day, this is my story, and I get to decide what happens in it. I do this primarily to improve my own writing abilities. I love that a lot of you enjoy it, but if not, that's fine too. You can't please all of the people all of the time. But enough about that, let's talk about the chapter. What did you guys think, did you like the changes I made? I'm moving some people around, switching things up. Shinsō is here, and he's gonna have a much bigger role to play than in canon. And what about Izuku's cover story for how he has super strength? It's partially based on real science, and partially on an ability I borrowed from another anime. Also made some Marvel and DC references for those keeping score at home. Please let me know how you like the story so far, and don't be afraid to point out any issues you may have. I might fix them, I might not. I know where I want this story to go, but sometimes the path to get there takes an unexpected turn. Next chapter we finally start the school year, and we meet the only OC I have planned for this story. I came up with her back in the early stages of planning, and she's just so much fun I had to keep her. See you all next week.**


	5. Volume 5: Assessments

**Geuss who's back? It's me. We've got a few things to go over, so let's just get right to business.**

 **First, a thank you to Bob Le Destroyer And Anon for correcting me on a few points I messed up on. I've gone back and fixed them, but they were minor, so I'll just tell you here so you don't go back and look for the one word changes.**

 **1: Mt. Lady would weigh 11.2 Tons, not 1.2. I forgot to take into account that, while the show is two dimensional, the world is 3-D.**

 **2: 'Enhancement' isn't one of the three types of Quirk. Transformation is the one I forgot about. So, 'Analysis' is now a Mutation Type.**

 **Next, a few people pointed out to me that Inko's apologetic behaviour is a cultural thing. I still don't like her for the other reasons I mentioned, but I learned something new, so thanks.**

 **Another important thing to note is that I understand all the Bakugo hate. I don't like his character in canon either. He's a straight up asshole who actively refuses to learn anything for almost three seasons. 200 chapters into the manga, and he's starting to have some growth, but some people don't care anymore. But that's "canon" Bakugo. I believe that the character has potential, if started on the right path earlier, like I did in this story.**

 **To Bob Le Destroyer again, a few answers to your latest review.**

 **1: Fainting while overexcited is one thing, but literally projectile crying so hard it damages the ceiling and floods the house is another.**

 **2: Izuku's Quirk only hurts him because he goes to far. And a lot of the times he's gone that far was to save someone else from being actually murdered.**

 **To clarify, I greatly appreciate your input, so don't apologize. You're right, the written word lacks some of the emotional nuances of spoken language, so if my reply came across as hostile and insulted, that's my fault. You have good points, and I'm always happy to hear from anybody that likes my story.**

 **Last thing. This chapter kicked my ass. It starts great, but it fought me at every turn. I think it turned out okay, but it's not as good as the last one, in my opinion. Maybe I'm just being overly critical of myself, but I'll leave that up to you. So, without further ado, let's begin.**

* * *

The sun slowly began it's daily trip across the sky, gently illuminating a lone figure standing on the beach. The young boy breathed deeply, tasting the salty sea air and listening to the light crash of the waves. He remained like that, eyes gazing off towards the horizon, for several minutes. He knew no one would bother him, not at this hour.

Finally, he began to stir. He reached up as high as he could, then bent over at the waist and touched his toes. He twisted his torso, first to the right, then the left. Returning to his original position, he took another deep breath and removed his shirt. Feeling the incredible power he kept stored inside begging to be let out, he let the now familiar energy flow through him. The green lightning crackled around him like it always did, enhancing every inch of his body. Pushing past ten percent, he started to feel pressure squeeze him from all sides. He fell to his knees and quickly released the power.

 _'13.68,'_ Izuku thought, crawling over to his bag and taking a large gulp from his water bottle. _'Not bad, but it doesn't look like I'll make it to an even fifteen before the school year starts. Oh well, back to training.'_ Charging back up to ten percent, he ran down the pier and dove into the ocean.

Technically speaking, he hadn't received his acceptance letter yet, but he didn't doubt that it would arrive on time, just like Present Mic had said. Sure, he had been slightly worried about it the first day, and the fact that All Might had stopped returning his calls didn't ease those dark thoughts. It wasn't until three days after the exam, when he worked up the courage to go back to the beach, that he realized how stupid he was being.

If he took everything at face value, he had ended the Practical Exam with zero points. But Izuku was the kind of person who knew that nothing was ever truly what it seemed. Looking deeper, he saw the hidden layers of the test. He asked himself why they would include something like the Trap Villain in the first place, and what purpose it was supposed to serve. The explanation they'd been given said that it was to teach them that not all fights were worth fighting, but that didn't make sense. Looking at it a different way, however, it could have been that some fights _had to_ be fought, whether you wanted to or not.

And that was when the answer came to him. If they hadn't wanted people to fight them, they could have just made them worth zero points. But if they did that, there would still be a few people, _*cough* Kacchan *cough*_ who would have done it anyways. By saying that it would reset their scores to nothing, though, they had created an opportunity. Anyone that attacked it to try and show off would reveal themselves unfit to be a true Hero, while those who fought it to protect others would show the opposite. That they were willing to put the safety of others before their own personal goals. It was just like All Might had taught the two of them, just a few months ago.

 _ **"NOTHING IS NOBLER THAN SELF-SACRIFICE!"**_

Now, he just had to wait. But not for too much longer.

Two days later, he and Katsuki were in the living room, playing the newest entry in their favorite fighting game franchise, **Plus Ultra Arena 8**. Just like the old playground game they used to play, they had decided that you couldn't pick All Might. Katsuki was currently using Endeavor, trying to win by spamming fireballs from long distance. But Izuku had a strategy of his own. Best-Jeanist wasn't the strongest fighter in the game, nor did he have any particularly good combos. What he did have though, was a ranged trip attack. He waited until Endeavor's SP Bar drained, giving him a five second window to pull off his move. Fortunately, for Izuku at least, his reaction time and hand-eye coordination were nearly perfect, and he managed to send his opponent to the ground. Once that was done, it was an easy task to keep him stun-locked and slowly chip away at his HP.

"Bullshit!" Katsuki shouted after the game declared Best-Jeanist the winner. "I won this fight back when we were five!"

"You did, and I agree with you. In a real fight, Endeavor could easily burn away any material Best-Jeanist tried to send at him, and then knock him out with a few punches. But this game doesn't have that mechanic, so I won. If I remember correctly, and I do, perfect recall and whatnot, that means you have to do my chores for the next week. Thanks bro."

Before Katsuki had a chance to express his displeasure with the outcome, preferably with his fists, his mom called for them.

"BOYS, GET YOUR ASSES TO THE KITCHEN! YOU'VE GOT MAIL!"

Their feud temporarily forgotten, they rushed into the other room, pushing and shoving the whole way there, each of them trying to be the first one to get accepted to UA. Upon arriving though, they were slightly confused. There, waiting on the table, was a single envelope addressed to both of them. They looked at each other for a moment, then reached for the letter. Izuku was slightly faster and picked it up, but Katsuki grabbed the other side and tried to pull it out of Izuku's hand. Unsurprisingly, this caused it to be torn in half. What was surprising was the small metal disc that fell out, clattering about the table for a few seconds before coming to a stop. The disc beeped twice, then suddenly sprang to life.

 _ **"AHA, I AM HERE, AS A PROJECTION!"**_ the holographic form of All Might declared. He was wearing a yellow pinstriped suit, and appeared to be on the set of a game show. _**"YOUNG MIDORIYA, YOUNG BAKUGŌ, I HOPE YOU'VE BEEN WELL! I'LL BET YOU'RE WONDERING WHAT I'M DOING HERE! YOU SEE, YOU ARE LOOKING AT UA'S NEWEST FACULTY MEMBER!"**_

A small sound came from off screen, and All Might turned away from the camera. _**"What's that? Quit showboating? Wait, I have to do how many more of these?!"**_ He turned back to the camera with a small cough, then continued his speech.

 _ **"THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT YOU BOTH PASSED THE WRITTEN EXAM WITH PERFECT SCORES! UNFORTUNATELY, YOU BOTH ALSO FOUGHT THE TRAP VILLAIN, LEAVING YOURSELVES WITH ZERO POINTS IN THE PRACTICAL EXAM! AT LEAST, THAT IS WHAT YOU WERE LED TO BELIEVE! BEFORE I EXPLAIN THAT HOWEVER, BEHOLD! A SHORT VIDEO CLIP FOR YOUR VIEWING PLEASURE!"**_

The image flickered, revealing a shot of Present Mic standing in an empty classroom. There was a quick knock on the door, then it flew open as two people walked in.

"Um, excuse me, Mr. Present Mic, sir, could I talk to you about something?" Ochako Uraraka asked sheepishly, her face slightly flushed.

" _I ALWAYS HAVE TIME FOR A FAN, WHAT CAN I DO FOR YOU?!"_

"It's about the exam. There was this kid, spiky blond hair, intense red eyes, really angry."

"Oi, that's rude, Pink Cheeks!" the aforementioned angry blond kid shouted uselessly at the hologram.

"Anyway, I was wondering if I could give him some of my points? See, I don't know how many he had, but he took out that giant robot you said would make their score go back to zero. But the thing is, he only did it to save me. If it wasn't for me, he would probably have a great score, and I couldn't live with myself if he didn't get in because of my mistake."

"Shut up you idiot! I didn't do it for you, you just happened to conveniently give me an excuse to do what I wanted to!" Katsuki continued ranting, not paying attention to Izuku's exasperated sigh right next to him.

 _"I SEE, AND WHAT ABOUT YOU?"_ the Voice Hero asked, looking at the other student that had come in with the girl.

"Basically the same, but slightly different," Hitoshi Shinsō replied lazily. "In group B, Izuku Midoriya also defeated the Trap Villain. He also went out of his way to help me get some points too. The only reason he went after that thing though was because if it wasn't stopped, then a lot of the other students would have been hurt badly. I don't have a lot of points, but if you could give them to him, I'm sure they could help him. He told me that being a Hero wasn't a numbers game, and that he was fine trading his chance to get in for mine, but if you're gonna let me in and not him, then I'd rather pass on the whole 'Hero' thing."

 _"WHOA THERE, MY FRIEND, NO NEED TO WORRY. YOU EITHER, LITTLE LADY. THOSE TWO ARE CHARTING JUST FINE ON THEIR OWN."_

Once again, the hologram shook, returning to the shot of All Might in the studio.

 ** _"YOU BOYS ARE SOMETHING ELSE! EACH OF YOU MANAGED TO DISPLAY GREAT COURAGE AND INSPIRE OTHERS TO BE COURAGEOUS AS WELL! THE CORE ASPECT OF BEING A HERO IS TO HELP PEOPLE! THAT'S WHY WE MADE THE TRAP VILLAIN! IT WAS A TEST INSIDE THE TEST! WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO THE WIRE, A HERO NEEDS TO BE ABLE TO MAKE SPLIT SECOND DECISIONS AND PUT THEMSELVES AT RISK TO PROTECT PEOPLE! THAT'S ALSO WHY WE ADDED RESCUE POINTS!"_**

He gestured to his right, revealing a scoreboard.

 _ **"KATSUKI BAKUGŌ: SEVENTY-THREE VILLAIN POINTS AND SIXTY RESCUE POINTS, FOR A GRAND TOTAL OF ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-THREE POINTS! IZUKU MIDORIYA: SIXTY-FOUR VILLAIN POINTS AND SEVENTY RESCUE POINTS, TOTALING ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-FOUR POINTS! CONGRATULATIONS BOYS! NOT ONLY DID YOU PASS, YOU WERE THE TOP TWO ENTRANTS THIS YEAR! WELCOME TO UA! WELCOME TO YOUR HERO ACADEMIA!"**_

And with that, the projection ceased. Silence filled the room, before Katsuki turned to look at Izuku.

"ONE POINT?! I'LL KICK YOUR ASS, THEN WE'LL SEE WHO'S ONE POINT BETTER!"

Just like that, the fight from earlier began anew. Lightning sparked and explosions popped, but before it could go any further, they heard a small cough. Looking over, the boys saw Mitsuki Bakugō, a smile on her face that didn't reach her eyes.

"Oh boys, what are you up to?" she asked with false curiosity.

"We were just..." Izuku started to respond, before the fireworks went off.

"JUST TRYING TO BREAK MY KITCHEN! HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU, NO FIGHTING IN THE HOUSE! THAT'S WHAT THE PARK IS FOR! NOW GET OUT, AND DON'T COME BACK UNTIL YOU'VE CALMED DOWN!"

The brothers quickly bolted, practically flying out of the house before things escalated any further.

Across the country, many other teens had just received similar letters to the one they had just watched.

A blond boy with a small black lightning bolt in his hair fell to his knees, thanking every God he could come up with that he had somehow, just barely, passed the written exam.

A bright pink girl with small horns did a little victory dance, then decided to go on a celebratory shopping spree.

But one person had gotten a slightly different letter, one that didn't contain the bright, smiling face of the Symbol of Peace. Instead, it showed a vision of a tired looking man with long black hair.

"Hitoshi Shinsō," the voice droned, checking a clipboard in his hand. "Academically average, slightly unfit, no really outstanding qualities to speak of. Yet, you managed to pass the Hero Entrance Exam with a ninety-two percent on the written portion, and fifty-nine points in the practical. I've reviewed the footage personally, and have come to the conclusion that, without the help of one Izuku Midoriya, you would have almost certainly failed."

Shinso bristled at that, afraid of where this message was heading.

"I'll have to thank him when the school year begins, because he saved you from a life of mediocrity."

The purple-haired boy blinked. He hadn't been expecting that.

"The current setup of the practical exam is highly illogical, and something that I try to get changed every year, to no avail. Normally, someone like you would fall through the cracks, ending up in General Studies, if you got in at all. Non-combative Quirks like yours aren't 'flashy enough' for the spotlight of Pro Heroism. But that doesn't mean you can't be a great Hero. You won't get many action figures or endorsement deals, but if what Mic told me is true, you probably don't care too much about that. The road won't be easy, and you'll have to work harder than most to succeed, but if you put in the effort, you can do great things. Step one is to get in shape. I've included a membership card to a gym near your house. Use your time wisely, and be ready to Go Beyond.

The recording ended, leaving Shinsō alone with his thoughts. He grabbed the envelope and pulled out the card the man had mentioned. He groaned for a moment, but eventually he stood up and grabbed his jacket, heading to the city.

 _'This is gonna suck,'_ he thought, as he closed the door behind him.

* * *

 **UA Classroom 1-A, first day of school...**

* * *

Bakugō, Midoriya and Shinsō were huddled in a corner, talking about nothing in particular. Katsuki sat with his feet up on the desk, Izuku took a reverse position in his chair, and Hitoshi leaned against the wall. A few other students slowly trickled in, but none bothered the trio until the tall boy from group B arrived.

"Excuse me, but what do you three think you're doing?" he asked, chopping the air like a robot.

"What, you got a problem or something?" Katsuki replied, staring back at the new arrival.

"As a matter of fact I do. You have placed your feet upon that desk, which is a great insult to not only this hallowed institution, but it's esteemed alumni as well. To add further disrespect, you are not wearing your tie."

"Are you for real? It's a desk. And the tie clashed with my style, four-eyes."

"'Four-eyes'? My name is Ten'ya Iida, and you would do well to be more courteous to others in the future. And you," he continued, pointing at Izuku, "your name was Midoriya, correct? I thought I had misjudged you, but here you are associating with this delinquent and ignoring the dress code as well."

"What?" Izuku asked coldly, hoping he misheard the boy, but knowing he hadn't.

"You are wearing sunglasses indoors. The School Handbook clearly states that all non-prescription eyewear are prohibited," Iida explained, missing the dangerous tone in the green-haired boy's voice.

"But..." Izuku tried to respond, before Shinsō put a hand on his shoulder.

"He's right, Midoriya. You should definitely take them off," his new friend said, sharing a knowing look with Katsuki.

By this point, the full attention of the room was focused on the four of them.

"Are you sure about this?" Izuku asked, looking at Iida.

"The rules are quite clear."

"Alright, but remember, you asked for this."

He closed his eyes before he removed the glasses, stood up, and opened his eyes staring directly at the taller boy. His Quirk activated, and as the information filled his mind, he spoke it aloud for everyone to hear.

 _ **"Name: Ten'ya Iida. Age: 15. DOB: August 22, 22..."**_

"Enough!" Iida shouted, startling everyone in the room.

"But you told me to take my glasses off."

The argument could have gone on forever, but a loud slurping sound interrupted them. Izuku put his sunglasses back on before looking past Iida to find the source of the disturbance. Lying in the doorway, he saw a giant bagworm drinking a juice pouch. Then it stood up, and a zipper opened. Out of the bag stepped a lanky, dark-haired man with bags under his eyes.

"Everybody take your seats and be quiet. Socializing time is over," he said as he walked up to the podium. "My name is Shōta Aizawa, and I'll be your homeroom teacher until I decide otherwise. And this is my student teacher..." he continued, pointing at an empty chair at the front of the room. He scowled and pinched the bridge of his nose, before pulling out a clipboard and checking it over.

"You, Kyōka Jirō."

The person he pointed at, a girl with short, dark purple hair, stood up. "Yeah?"

"According to your file, your Quirk allows you to hear things by plugging those jacks on your ears into things. So here's your first test, a search and rescue mission. Check the air ducts for any strange noises or unusual movement."

Jiro frowned, then her earlobe extended like a rope and stabbed into the ceiling. The room was silent for about five seconds, before the earphone jack detached itself and returned to it's original position.

"Above Shades over there," she replied, nodding at Izuku.

"Great. Would anyone like to volunteer to go up and get her?"

"I got it," Izuku said, getting out of his chair. Summoning five percent of his power, he jumped up and pushed the tile up into the rafters. Then he grabbed the support beam, and pulled himself up as well. As he did, a small bundle leapt at him and latched onto his head. He fell backwards, but something caught him before he hit the ground. Whatever it was set him gently back on the floor, then let go. Reaching up, he pried the unknown object off his face.

"Nyan, I'm a kitty cat!"

He was now face to face with a little girl, who had flowing black hair and cat ears. Very confused by this turn of events, Izuku set the little girl down and looked at Aizawa.

The teacher ignored his questioning gaze, and instead focused on the child. "Shiho, you're not a cat, and you can't play in the vents. How many times do I have to go over this?"

"But I was _so_ bored. I asked momma what to do, but she was busy writing boring school stuff, and told me to find you. So I went on an adventure. 'The Great Shiho's Quest to Find Daddy!' I went to Uncle Mic's room, I talked to the nice bear-mouse man, I..."

"Alright, I get it. Well come on, we're already behind schedule."

The girl ran after him as he headed out the classroom door. Just before he closed it, he seemed to remember something.

"Right, you all need to go to the locker rooms and get your gym clothes on. Then meet me on the P.E. Grounds. You have ten minutes."

And with that, he left. Chaos erupted as the students raced out of the room, so many questions flowing through their minds, but no time to ask them.

* * *

 **P.E. Grounds, 8 minutes and 37 seconds later...**

* * *

The class slowly gathered around Mr. Aizawa as he checked his phone. Looking up and noticing that all twenty of them were present, he began speaking.

"Excellent, you all made it. By the end of the year, those of you that are left should be able to do this in two minutes instead of ten. Now, our first order of business is a Quirk Assessment Test."

"WHAT?!" everyone shouted, looking confused.

"But we'll miss orientation!" Uraraka added.

"A true Hero doesn't have time to waste on pointless ceremonies and long-winded speeches. UA is a freeform educational institution, which means I get to run my class however I wish. You may recognize the equipment set up here. We're going to be doing the same standardized testing you've been doing for years, but here you are allowed to use your Quirks. The Ministry of Education irrationally holds students back by forcing them to compete on an equal footing. But in today's Hero Society, that kind of thinking is dangerously small-minded. Midoriya, you got the highest score on the Entrance Exam. How far was your best Softball Throw in middle school?"

"Sixty-two meters."

"Okay, now let's see how you do when you don't have to hold back. As long as you don't leave that circle, you can do whatever you want."

Izuku handed Katsuki his sunglasses, then stepped into the circle. Charging up to ten percent, the familiar lightning crackling around him, he prepared his shot.

 **"Sit-Rep."**

 **Wind: 1.2MPH N**

 **Temperature: 63°F**

 **Optimal Trajectory Calculated**

Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward and launched the ball into the air.

"You all have to know what you're capable of. These tests are the most rational way to determine your Heroic capabilities," Aizawa explained, holding up his phone to display Izuku's distance.

 **937.8M**

The class gasped in awe, then everyone started talking at once.

"Nine hundred and thirty-eight meters? That's crazy!" Kaminari exclaimed.

"Oh, oh, me next. That looks like so much fun!" Ashido called out.

"Finally, a chance to let loose," Sero added.

"So this looks like fun to you, huh?" Aizawa asked, startling everyone out of their reverie. "You have three years here to learn how to be a Hero. If you think it's all going to be fun and games, you're sorely mistaken," he went on, as a predatory smile lit up his face. "This isn't just a test, it's a competition. There are eight activities to gauge your potential. Whoever has the lowest total score at the end has none, and will be expelled. I told you earlier, this is my class, and we'll do things my way. If you've got a problem with that, you'd be better off just leaving now."

With that announcement, the class split into three groups. Some people, like Bakugō and Kirishima, were excited, ready to put their skills in action. Others, like Shinsō and Hagakure, were scared. Fitness tests like this weren't their forte. And then there was Yaoyorozu. She alone assumed that this was a ploy, something to make everyone try their hardest. Izuku might have agreed with her, were he not as adept at reading people as he was. But Aizawa's tone held no humor, not the slightest hint of deceit detectable in the man's words.

"But we just got here! That's not fair!" Uraraka cried, wiping the smirk from their teacher's face.

"Life's not fair. Grow up. Natural disasters, accidents, powerful Villains; this world is full of unfairness. It's a Hero's job to combat that unfairness. It's time for you to Go Beyond, Plus Ultra style. Otherwise, you can just go home."

Thus began their first day at Ultra Academy.

The tests were simple enough, a no-holds-barred free-for-all to determine who had what it took to make it in the cutthroat world of Pro Heroism. Each challenge had a few stand-outs, with some Quirks better suited to the task than others. Iida had a natural advantage in the speed based tests, and Asui, a frog-like girl, was quite skilled at jumping. However, Izuku blew them all away. From the beginning, he held a comfortable lead, with the two recommendation students, Yaoyorozu and Todoroki, vying for second place. But it was the other end of the scoreboard that was truly important. Filling the last three slots were Hagakure, the invisible girl; Mineta, a short boy with grape-like protrusions on his head; and Shinsō.

While Mineta had performed well in the Sustained Sideways Jump, and Hagakure was actually very fit all-around, Shinsō was lagging. The few weeks of exercise he had done since the Entrance Exam helped, but they weren't going to be enough to be enough to keep him from getting axed. He needed a miracle.

Finally, they came to the last test, the Softball Throw. Since Izuku had already completed that one, he decided to sit down and observe. Katsuki went up and exploded the ball over seven hundred and fifty meters. Yaoyorozu made a cannon, and shot it eight hundred and nine meters. But the truly impressive throw belonged to Uraraka. She walked casually into the circle, picked up the ball, and lightly tossed it forward. And it went forward, on and on, untethered from the laws of reality, before finally disappearing from sight. A few seconds later, Aizawa's phone beeped. He tilted the screen, revealing an infinity symbol to the class.

No one else was very interesting after that, until the end. The last person called was Shinsō. He stood in the designated area like everyone else, and began his preparations.

"Hey, Uraraka?" he called, turning to the crowd.

"Yeah, what can I..." she began to respond, before her eyes glazed over.

 _ **"Come here and use your Quirk on this ball."**_

The class looked on, all except Izuku and Katsuki slightly confused, as the girl did as she was told. Tapping the ball with her fingertips, Uraraka once again removed the shackles of gravity from it, then stepped back. Shinsō tossed the ball, and just like before, it vanished into space, never to be seen or heard from again. With a quick tap on the shoulder, Shinsō released Uraraka from his spell, and she casually skipped back to the class.

"Hold up a sec! That's cheating! You can't do that!" Mineta whined, looking at Aizawa for support.

"Why not?" Shinsō asked, looking down at the little creep. "The rules said that I had to stay inside this circle, and use my Quirk to throw the ball as far as I could. So that's what I did."

Aizawa laughed, watching the scene unfolding before him. "That may be true, but Mineta does have a point. You can't just take control of your classmates like that. It's not very honorable. However, you did follow my instructions and used your Quirk creatively, so I can't fault you for that. Seeing as how it was her abilities you borrowed, I'll let Uraraka decide how this plays out."

"Oh, it's fine. He asked me first before he did it."

"Then it's settled, here are the final results."

A display popped up out of Aizawa's phone, showing the rankings from first to twentieth.

 **1: Izuku Midoriya**

 **2: Momo Yaoyorozu**

 **3:Shōto Todoroki**

 **4: Katsuki Bakugo**

 **5: Ibara Shiozaki**

 **6: Ten'ya Iida**

 **7: Fumikage Tokoyami**

 **8: Mezō Shōji**

 **9: Mashirao Ojiro**

 **10: Eijirō Kirishima**

 **11: Mina Ashido**

 **12: Ochako Uraraka**

 **13: Tsuyu Asui**

 **14: Yūga Aoyama**

 **15: Hanta Sero**

 **16: Denki Kaminari**

 **17: Kyoka Jiro**

 **18: Tōru Hagakure**

 **19: Hitoshi Shinso**

 **20: Minoru Mineta**

"Now then, Shiho would you... And she's gone again. Alright, Mineta, leave your gym clothes and uniform in your locker, I'll see the rest of you tomorrow. Class dismissed."

Without another word, their teacher walked off the field and disappeared into the building.

Mineta started crying, and a few people thought about trying to comfort the poor boy.

"It's not fair! Now girls will never think I'm cool, and they won't let me touch their boobs!"

And just like that, the feeling was gone, and they all slowly dispersed, leaving him alone on the field.

 _'Couldn't have happened to a more deserving person,'_ was the general consensus.

Izuku and Katsuki headed for the train station when a couple of voices called out to them.

"Hey, wait up guys!" Uraraka yelled, running up beside them.

"You guys are some real men," Kirishima added, wrapping his arms over their shoulders.

Shinsō just fell in step with them without a word, his face a mask of boredom.

The five of them continued on their way, talking about the day they just had, and how the future would unfold from there.

* * *

 **And we're done. More major shake-ups, as Mineta gets cut, and a new face joins the crowd. Sato and Koji are also gone, making room for Ibara and Shinsō. I never really cared for Sato, because he seemed kinda lame. I mean, they didn't even bother to explain who he was or what he did until the end of season two. Koji, on the other hand, I don't dislike. He's a good kid, but he also doesn't do much. Hopefully you guys can understand my decision, and we can all still be friends. As for my OC, I have prepared a short story to introduce you to her. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Omake: The Great Shiho's Quest to Find Daddy**

* * *

The day had only just begun, and she was already bored. She looked over at her mother, who was busy typing something at her desk. Never one for patience, she decided to make her displeasure known.

"Hey, mama, let's play a game!" the little girl shouted, startling the older woman.

"I'm sorry sweetie, but mommy has to finish these lesson plans before the students get here," Nemuri explained, patting her daughter on the head. "Why don't you go find daddy? I'm sure he's not doing anything right now."

"Okay!" Shiho replied, her smile widening. Getting up from her chair, Shiho began her epic quest.

Her first stop was the English classroom. Maybe daddy and Uncle Mic were getting ready for school too. She tried to open the door, but it was locked

 _' Oh yeah, it's Orientation Day. Uncle Mic's probably in the Auditorium.'_

Next up was the Teacher's Lounge. Somebody was usually there, grading papers or taking a nap. The door opened this time, but the person she was looking for wasn't there. She did find _a_ person though. Well, not really a _person_ , but a very intelligent animal.

"Hello Mr. Principal," she said, waving enthusiastically at the bear-mouse-dog as he silently sipped some tea.

"Greetings, little one. To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit today?" Nezu replied cordially, smiling at the unexpected guest.

"Don't call me little, I'm bigger than you!" Shiho pouted, before remembering why she was there. "Have you seen my daddy anywhere?"

"I'm sorry to say that I have not. Your father has an outstanding ability to go unseen unless he wants you to see him. Even I have trouble finding him sometimes."

"Ooooooohhhh, he's playing hide and seek! Alright, don't you worry. Detective Shiho is on the case." Turning around, she marched back into the hallway, a fierce determination on her tiny face.

She wandered around for a while, poking her head into empty classrooms, checking vacant closets, searching anywhere someone would normally be found. Then she realized her mistake.

 _'I need to look in places people_ wouldn't _suspect.'_

With that new plan in mind, she went back to one of the supply closets she'd been in earlier. She found a small ladder and propped it against the wall. Climbing up, she came to a panel that led to the ventilation system. Prying it open, she crawled into the ducts. As she made her way through the web of tunnels, she overheard shouting.

"Enough!"

Following the voices, she found another hatch. Opening it, she ended up in the rafters above a classroom.

"Everybody take your seats and be quiet. Socializing time is over."

That was daddy's voice. She finally found him.

"My name is Shota Aizawa, and I'll be your homeroom teacher until I decide otherwise. And this is my student teacher..." she heard him trail off, then realized he was looking for her.

"You, Kyōka Jirō."

"Yeah?"

Shiho didn't recognize that name, or the girl's voice

"According to your file, your Quirk allows you to hear things by plugging those jacks on your ears into things. So here's your first test, a search and rescue mission. Check the air ducts for any strange noises or unusual movement."

 _'Yay, new friends! I can't wait to play with them. But first, how do I get out of here?'_

"Above Shades over there," Jirō said, interrupting Shiho's thoughts.

"Great. Would anyone like to volunteer to go up and get her?"

"I got it."

That was a male voice, and it sounded slightly closer than the other ones. Suddenly, the ceiling tile in front of her popped open, and a mess of green hair pulled itself into view. Deciding to have some fun, she jumped onto the boy's head, and they fell into the room below.

 **And that's Shiho. She's really not super vital to the plot, but I think she'll bring an appropriate touch of comic relief to the story now that Mineta and his inappropriate comic relief are gone. As always, thanks for reading this story, and please be sure to leave a review if you have any feedback for me. See you guys next time.**


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